A study conducted by the University of Manchester researches has discovered that hearing loss may act as a cause of depression in older people.

The study identified that those in the lowest wealth groups, they found, had up to twice the relative risk of developing depression than those in the highest wealth quintiles, as hearing loss disproportionally affected their quality of life.

The data collected showed that hearing aids have a stronger effect in alleviating symptoms of depression in poorer socio-economic groups than in wealthy ones.

Improved symptoms of depression were more pronounced among those using their hearing aids ‘most of the time’ then those using them ‘some of the time’.

The researchers analysed longitudinally the entire dataset of participants aged 50–89 years in 8 Waves of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA), from 2002 to 2017, examining 74,908 people.

The University of Manchester who led the study, said: “Our study shows that hearing loss poses a substantial risk for depressive symptoms in older adults, especially those who experience socioeconomic inequalities.

What causes hearing loss in older age?

Most people who experience hearing loss as they get older do so because of wear and tear to the tiny hair cells in the inner ear.

There are also other factors that can cause hearing loss, such as:

regular exposure to loud noise

a history of middle ear disease

a family history of hearing loss.

Some people have a condition called tinnitus, which causes you to have persistent noises such as ringing or buzzing. This can also be linked to hearing loss.