When it comes to untreated hearing loss, many people assume the issues they will experience are fairly obvious: they will not be able to hear particularly well.

However, the issues caused by untreated hearing loss can actually extend far beyond hearing function. In fact, untreated hearing loss has been strongly associated with a number of troubling conditions, including the following:

1. Dementia

Dementia is an umbrella term that is used to describe symptoms related to cognitive decline: memory loss being the most well-known of these symptoms. However, while dementia is fairly well-known, the fact that untreated hearing loss has been strongly linked – across numerous studies – with dementia may come as a surprise.

It is thought that dementia, in this instance, is an indirect consequence of hearing loss, rather than being comorbid with the condition itself – in short, it is driven by the higher risk of social isolation. Individuals with untreated hearing loss tend to avoid social occasions due to anxiety or discomfort. In time, social isolation causes cognitive decline, as the neural connections needed to facilitate conversations with others are unused.

2. Higher risk of falls in seniors

Trips and falls can happen at any age, but it has long been known that seniors are more likely to experience these issues than younger people – although why this is the case was not particularly well understood.

However, recent studies have found that there is a significant link between untreated hearing loss and incidences of trips and falls. Researchers believe that individuals with untreated hearing loss tend to experience a reduction in environmental awareness, which subsequently results in a higher likelihood of trips and falls. In addition, it is also believed that the cognitive stress of living with untreated hearing loss essentially acts as a constant distraction, which makes accidents more likely to occur.

3. Mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety

Individuals who are living with untreated hearing loss are, according to a number of studies and observations, far more likely to experience mental health issues – with depression, anxiety and paranoia particularly common.

Once again, the link between hearing loss and these conditions is thought to relate to social isolation. The ability to talk and connect with others is vitally important for overall mental wellbeing; if conversations become more difficult due to hearing loss, then mental wellbeing naturally declines.

4. Poor speech recognition

Many people imagine that hearing loss causes hearing function to be lost, quite literally – in that a person can no longer hear sounds. However, hearing loss can also cause discrimination loss; a person can hear the sound, but they cannot decipher individual words. While discrimination loss can occur in relation to any sounds, it is most prevalent when seeking to recognize speech.

The ability to recognize speech is crucial to our ability to interact with the world and converse with others, but studies have shown that speech recognition tends to decline along with hearing function. In particular, individuals with untreated hearing loss can struggle to recognize speech patterns involving the letters S, T and P – which, given how frequently these letters appear in standard conversation, can be particularly challenging.

If you believe you are experiencing hearing loss, seeking treatment with an audiologist is crucial and can help to alleviate the risks posed by the conditions as listed above.