Hearing Loss Awareness
An astonishing 11% of Europe’s population live with a disabling hearing loss (>35 dB), equating to 57 million Europeans. The World Health Organization predicts this number to double globally by 2050 as the population ages, bringing significant social and economic challenges (WHO, 2021).
Impact of Untreated
Hearing Loss to Individuals
Children
Hearing loss affects 32 million children worldwide, with 0.5 to 5 in every 1,000 children born with sensorineural deafness or developing hearing loss, estimated by
the World Health Organization.
Without proper intervention, these children face significant challenges
in their development and daily lives (WHO, 2021):
- Delayed speech and language development
- Lower educational achievement and learning difficulties
- Social isolation caused by difficulties in building relationships
- Limited career opportunities and income potential
- Challenges in developing cognitive skills such as memory, attention, and spatial awareness
Access to pediatric hearing care still varies significantly across EU Member States, with disparities in newborn screening, advanced treatments, and rehabilitation services (WHO, 2021).
Adults
Untreated hearing loss in adults is strongly associated with numerous comorbidities that reduce quality of life and place a significant financial burden on Europe’s healthcare systems. In addition to the more obvious effects, such as communication difficulties and social isolation, untreated hearing loss also presents other challenges in the daily lives of adults:
- Higher unemployment rates and increased likelihood of early retirement (Kochkin, 2010)
- Negative impact on mental health and increased social isolation (WHO, 2021)
- Greater risk of dementia, with hearing loss being the number one modifiable risk factor (WHO, 2021)
- Reduced independence and loss of personal autonomy (WHO, 2021)
- Increased risk of additional health conditions, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and a higher incidence of falls (Livingston et al., 2020)
Factors like these place a substantial burden on Europe’s healthcare systems and significantly contribute to rising public expenditures related to ageing, which already accounts for 50% of government spending across Europe (Frankish & Horton, 2017).
