Relationship between hearing thresholds and cognitive function in hearing aid non-users and long-term users post-midlife

The extent of hearing loss requiring hearing aid (HA) to prevent cognitive decline is unclear; we assessed this post-midlife along with the relationship between hearing thresholds and cognitive function in those who had never used HA (non-users) or used HAs for >3 years (long-term users). This study comprised 117 individuals ≥55 years with an average hearing threshold of ≥25 dB HL in their better ear and 55 of the non-users and 62 of the long-term users. The Mini-Mental State Examination, the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT), and pure-tone and sound-field audiometry were assessed. Mean ± SD hearing levels of the non-user and long-term user group were 40.83 ± 8.16 and 51.13 ± 14.80 dB HL. Non-users showed a significant association (P = 0.01) between the hearing thresholds and SDMT scores, with a cutoff value of above 38.75 dB HL identified as affecting cognitive function. There were no significant associations for long-term users.