Adults with both epilepsy and hearing loss who use hearing aids may have a 23% lower risk of developing dementia than those who do not, according to research presented at the European Academy of Neurology Congress 2026 on June 26.
Researchers from University Hospital Zurich and the University of Liverpool analyzed electronic health records from more than 250 million patients in the TriNetX network. They compared adults with hearing loss who used hearing aids to closely matched adults who did not, including people living with epilepsy, stroke, type 2 diabetes, chronic kidney disease, heart failure, migraine, and osteoarthritis.
The study found no significant association between hearing aid use and dementia risk in the overall population with hearing loss or among people with stroke, migraine, type 2 diabetes, chronic kidney disease, heart failure, or osteoarthritis. However, among adults with both epilepsy and hearing loss, using hearing aids was associated with a 23% lower risk of dementia. This represented an absolute risk reduction of 2.7 percentage points over five years—equivalent to one fewer case of dementia for every 37 people using hearing aids. The association remained directionally consistent across all analyses.
Lead author Dr. Carolina Ferreira-Atuesta said, "What surprised us most was how specific the finding was to epilepsy. We expected to see a small benefit across several of the higher-risk groups we studied. Instead, most showed no significant association while the association in epilepsy was observed consistently across all of our analyses. That consistency gives us greater confidence that this is a meaningful finding." Ferreira-Atuesta explained that differences in cognitive reserve—the brain's ability to function despite age-related changes or disease—may account for these results: "Most people with hearing loss have enough cognitive reserve to absorb the extra effort caused by hearing impairment so correcting it may not have a large effect on dementia risk. Epilepsy is different because cognitive reserve is often already reduced, meaning that removing one additional source of strain may have a greater impact." She added: "There are several biologically plausible reasons why we might see this effect in epilepsy. The condition is associated with accelerated cognitive decline; temporal lobe epilepsy affects areas of the brain involved in hearing; and some anti-seizure medications may worsen hearing."
The findings suggest clinical implications for routine care, as people with epilepsy are already regularly engaged with healthcare services where incorporating regular hearing assessments could be beneficial.
Ferreira-Atuesta urged, "If you have hearing loss treat it. The benefits for communication, mood, and staying connected are real and well established so there's every reason to act now." Researchers caution that their study was observational and cannot yet prove causation but say further prospective studies are needed.
