GENEVA, SWITZERLAND — 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 new research presented at the European Academy of Neurology (EAN) Congress 2026.
Hearing loss is widely recognized as the largest modifiable risk factor for dementia. However, whether hearing aid use can reduce dementia risk has remained a subject of ongoing debate.
To investigate the question, researchers from University Hospital Zurich and the University of Liverpool analyzed electronic health records from more than 250 million patients in the TriNetX network.
The team compared adults with hearing loss who used hearing aids with closely matched adults who did not. The analysis included the overall hearing loss population as well as people living with epilepsy, stroke, type 2 diabetes, chronic kidney disease, heart failure, migraine, and osteoarthritis.
Hearing Aid Use Linked to Lower Dementia Risk in Epilepsy Group
No significant association was found 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, hearing aid use was associated with a 23% lower risk of developing dementia. This translated to 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 researchers suggest the findings may be explained by differences in cognitive reserve—the brain’s ability to continue functioning effectively despite age-related changes or disease-related damage.
“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.”
Lead author Dr. Carolina Ferreira-Atuesta 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.”
According to the researchers, the findings could have important implications for clinical practice. Because people with epilepsy are already in regular contact with healthcare providers, hearing assessments could be more easily incorporated into routine care.
The findings were presented at the European Academy of Neurology (EAN) Congress 2026.
Source: EAN Congress
