When most of us think of the costs associated with hearing loss, we might think about conversations we miss or connections we’ve lost. While these are significant costs to our well-being and social life, they don’t take into account the secondary or tertiary expenses associated with hearing loss.
A Study on Global Hearing Loss
A study was published last year in the International Journal of Audiology called “Estimating the Global Costs of Hearing Loss.” The study pulled data from the 2019 Global Burden of Disease study to assess the ripple effects that hearing loss has throughout the global economy, and the number is striking. The study authors arrived at a figure of $981 billion, which they noted is a low estimate. It could be that the true figure is over $1 trillion.
So how did the authors arrive at this number? They took several factors into consideration including non-hearing health care costs, lost economic productivity, educational support costs, and the costs of lost quality of life. This last factor accounted for the largest share of the $981 billion, at 47%.
Lost productivity was assessed among countries with full or near-full employment. Coming in at about $187 billion (19% of the total), this reflects an estimate of the lost economic power due to working-age adults’ reduced effectiveness in the workplace as a result of untreated hearing loss. The authors note that 83% of global hearing loss is, in fact, untreated, and this lack of treatment is responsible for much of the economic burden.
The 2021 World Report on Hearing noted that every $1 invested in treating hearing loss would have a return on investment of $16. Given the extremely high ROI here, it is not surprising to see governments around the world mobilizing to do a better job of addressing hearing loss.
About $314 billion (32% of the total) reflects health care expenses for those with hearing loss, unrelated to the expenses of treating hearing loss. Untreated hearing loss is known to result in the increased likelihood of accidental injury, depression, anxiety, cognitive decline and dementia. The World Health Organization (WHO) named it the #1 (out of 12) modifiable risk factor at play in determining the likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
Hearing Loss, Education, and Return on Investment
Only about 2–3% of the costs are associated with educational support. These are the costs required to assist children with hearing loss in classrooms. The small percentage here indicates a big potential for ROI when compared with the more significant expenses associated with adult hearing loss. WHO has also identified low educational attainment as a major modifiable risk factor associated with Alzheimer’s disease. A small investment in education can substantially increase the quality of life and economic productivity of a person with hearing loss, while also helping to reduce the costs associated with treating Alzheimer’s disease later in life. This is one small way that treating hearing loss on a global scale can have such a significant benefit to the economy.
Prevalence of Hearing Loss
About 1.5 billion people in the world have hearing loss. That’s about 20% of the global population. About 1.1 billion of these people have mild hearing loss, while around 430 million have moderate hearing loss or worse. While even mild hearing loss causes changes in the brain, memory issues, and fatigue, more serious degrees of hearing loss can deeply affect quality of life and daily activity levels.
By far, the most common type of hearing loss is age-related hearing loss. Rates of hearing loss rise sharply in the population by age 60 and up. While 12.7% of those aged 60–64 have moderate or more severe hearing loss, the percentage climbs to 58% by age 90. It is these populations where non-hearing health care costs tend to be the highest.
Age-related hearing loss is also responsible for a high degree of hospital readmission, even in wealthier nations. Those with untreated hearing loss are 32% more likely to be readmitted to the hospital within 30 days of being released than those with normal hearing. It is suggested that miscommunication and misunderstanding between patients and hospital staff results in inadequate care, which in turn results in a return to the hospital.
Hearing Wellness Solutions
If you or a loved one is struggling with hearing loss, make an appointment for a hearing test today. Hearing aids are the best treatment for most hearing loss, and can significantly improve quality of life.