
One emerging area of research is the possible connection between hearing loss and Parkinson’s disease. Studies suggest that hearing loss, especially when clinically diagnosed, may increase the risk of developing Parkinson’s. The findings suggest that hearing loss may be a significant risk factor for developing Parkinson’s.
Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative condition that primarily affects the motor system, but also presents with a wide range of non-motor symptoms that can significantly impact patients’ quality of life.
Motor symptoms include bradykinesia (slowness of movement), tremors, muscle rigidity, and postural instability. While these symptoms are central to the diagnosis and treatment of the disease, recent studies have highlighted the importance of non-motor symptoms, such as depression, anxiety, sleep disturbances, smell problems, and cognitive decline.
These non-motor symptoms often appear years before motor symptoms and may be early indicators of the development of the disease.

One emerging area of research is the possible link between hearing loss and Parkinson’s disease. Studies suggest that hearing loss, especially when clinically diagnosed, may increase the risk of developing Parkinson’s.
The exact mechanism linking hearing loss to Parkinson’s disease is not yet fully understood, but several hypotheses have been proposed. One is the common cause hypothesis, which suggests that both hearing loss and dementia (and possibly Parkinson’s) may share an underlying pathology, such as oxidative damage to mitochondria or impaired neurovascular coupling.
Research suggests that mild hearing loss can nearly double the risk of dementia, while severe hearing loss can increase the risk up to fivefold.
Longitudinal studies have found that diagnosed hearing loss can precede a diagnosis of Parkinson’s by up to five years, suggesting a temporal link between the two conditions.
In a study of over a million individuals, the risk of Parkinson’s was significantly higher in people with diagnosed hearing loss, especially in the five years preceding the diagnosis of the disease.

To further investigate, researchers from Lancaster University, UK, used data from the UK Biobank, analyzing a cohort of 159,395 individuals who underwent speech-in-noise testing and did not have Parkinson’s at baseline.
Using a Cox Proportional Hazards model, which adjusts for factors such as age, sex, and education level, the researchers found that hearing loss was associated with a 57% increased risk of developing Parkinson’s for every 10 dB increase in speech reception threshold.
However, when hearing loss was categorized according to the UK Biobank SRT norms, neither “Poor” nor “Poor” hearing significantly influenced the risk of Parkinson’s compared with “Normal” hearing.
The congruence of the findings obtained here with previous evidence further supports the hypothesis that hearing loss and Parkinson’s are linked by a common neurological cause.

The results suggest that hearing loss may be a significant risk factor for the development of Parkinson’s.
However, variability across studies and the need for more robust methods to measure hearing function indicate that more research is needed to confirm this association.
Early recognition of hearing loss as a potential risk factor may open new opportunities for preventive interventions and improve risk management in vulnerable populations.
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Speech-in-noise hearing impairment is associated with increased risk of Parkinson's: A UK biobank analysis
Megan Rose Readmana, Yang Wange, Fang Wane, Ian Fairmana, Sally A. Linkenaugera, Trevor J. Crawforda, Christopher J. Plack
Parkinsonism & Related Disorders. Volume 131, 107219, February 2025
DOI: 10.1016/j.parkreldis.2024.107219
Abstract:
Hearing impairment is implicated as a risk factor for Parkinson's disease (Parkinson's) incidence, with evidence suggesting that clinically diagnosed hearing loss increases Parkinson's risk 1.5–1.6 fold over 2–5 years follow up. However, the evidence is not unanimous with additional studies observing that self-reported hearing capabilities do not significantly influence Parkinson's incidence. Thus, additional cohort analyses that draw on alternative auditory measures are required to further corroborate the link between Parkinson's and hearing impairment. To determine whether hearing impairment, estimated using a speech-in-noise test (the Digit Triplet Test, DTT), is a risk factor for Parkinson's incidence. This was a pre-registered prospective cohort study using data from the UK Biobank. Data pertaining to 159,395 individuals, who underwent DTT testing and were free from Parkinson's at the point of assessment, were analysed. A Cox Proportional Hazard model, controlling for age, sex and educational attainment was conducted. During a median follow up of 14.24 years, 810 cases of probable Parkinson's were observed. The risk of incident Parkinson's increased with baseline hearing impairment [hazard ratio: 1.57 (95%CI: 1.018, 2.435; P = .041)], indicating 57 % increase in risk for every 10 dB increase in speech-reception threshold (SRT). However, when hearing impairment was categorised in accordance with UK Biobank SRT norms neither ‘Insufficient’ nor ‘Poor’ hearing significantly influenced Parkinson's risk compared to ‘Normal’ hearing. The congruence of these findings with prior research further supports the existence of a relationship between hearing impairment and Parkinson's incidence.
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