In France, one in four adults (25%) is affected by a form of hearing loss, according to a study by the National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm), published Friday, June 17. Disabling hearing loss, which is more serious, affects 4% of adults.
According to the study, the proportion of people affected varies according to their age, but also their standard of living, their exposure to noise at work, or their cardiovascular pathologies. The researchers specify that the highest probabilities of suffering from a hearing loss concern in particular the elderly, men, individuals with a high body mass index (BMI), or the presence of diabetes, or a history of depression. Conversely, they note that having a higher income or level of education, living alone and living in an urban area are associated with lower probabilities of hearing loss.
The Inserm study also highlights that the use of hearing aids is particularly low among the elderly – proportionally more affected by disabling hearing loss – men, smokers and people with a high BMI. Only 37% of patients with disabling hearing loss wear hearing aids.
Inserm recalls that approximately 1.5 billion people in the world are affected by hearing loss. WHO projections suggest that by 2050 there will be 2.5 billion. The institute therefore points to a “major public health problem”knowing that hearing impairment is associated in particular “a deterioration in the quality of life, social isolation, depression, cognitive decline or even dementia”.
The study published on Friday therefore provides data “more robust” allowing “to enlighten public policies”. Until now, studies focused on small samples of unrepresentative participants, from which it was difficult to draw generalities. Here, researchers from Inserm, AP-HP, Paris-Cité University and Foch Hospital relied on data from 186,460 volunteers, aged 18 to 75, representative of the general adult population. , and in whom deafness was measured from hearing tests.
This study, carried out on a sample “broad and representative” of the adult French population will allow “to draw up a reliable inventory and provide keys to public decision-makers when effective solutions exist to deal with this major health problem”, point out its authors. France recently adopted a measure allowing the reimbursement of hearing aids by Social Security. At the time of this study, this was not yet in force. Inserm therefore hopes that future research will assess the effectiveness of the device in order to be able to encourage the use of hearing aids.