Loneliness Linked To 24% Higher Risk Of Hearing Loss

Older adults who reported loneliness had a 24% higher risk of incident hearing loss, according to a recent analysis. The higher risk of hearing loss among those who reported loneliness persisted for all levels of genetic risk for hearing loss. The researchers concluded that alleviating loneliness through social enhancement strategies could prevent or delay hearing loss.

The report and analysis included data for 490,865 people, with an average age of 56.5 years, who participated in the UK Biobank Study, a longitudinal study and biomedical database that contains de-identified biological samples along with genetic, lifestyle, and health information . . .