Hearing loss cases among working-age adults increased from 558 million to 1.04 billion globally over a 30-year period, with years lived with disability rising from 14 million to 27 million, according to a systematic analysis.
Lead study author Qidi Hu, of the Department of Otolaryngology at the Jiaxing University Master Degree Cultivation Base at Zhejiang Chinese Medical University in China, and colleagues analyzed Global Burden of Disease 2021 data covering 204 countries and territories from 1990 to 2021. The working-age population—individuals aged 15 to 64 years—constitutes more than 50% of the global demographic. Studies have shown individuals with hearing loss may face disadvantages in unemployment rates, income, and retirement age.
Both absolute case numbers and age-standardized rates increased over the study period, indicating the burden is rising beyond population growth alone. In 2021, the prevalence rate reached 19,607 per 100,000 individuals.
High sociodemographic index (SDI) regions had the lowest hearing loss burden globally, while low SDI regions showed lower prevalence but higher years lived with disability, suggesting disparities in health care access and treatment. Eastern Sub-Saharan Africa had the highest regional burden, whereas Western Europe had the lowest. Madagascar, Malawi, and Kenya ranked highest among individual countries.
Male individuals consistently exhibited a higher burden compared with female individuals, which investigators attributed to differences in occupational exposure and hormonal influences such as the protective role of estrogen.
Mild hearing loss was the most prevalent severity level, while complete hearing loss accounted for only a small proportion of the study participants. Age-related and other types of hearing loss dominated the overall burden, whereas rates for hearing loss as a result of meningitis and otitis media declined, reflecting improvements in vaccination against pneumococcal and meningococcal infections.
Population growth accounted for 73% of the increases in years lived with disability globally, while aging and epidemiologic changes contributed 20% and 7%, respectively.
By 2040, the investigators projected that the global prevalence of hearing loss will reach 1.31 billion and years lived with disability will reach 33 million, with male burden remaining higher compared with female burden.
The investigators concluded that the burden of hearing loss in the working-age population is gradually increasing, with differences across regions, countries, and SDI levels, necessitating continued attention and effective measures to reduce future burden.
The study was supported by the First Hospital of Jiaxing; the authors declared no conflicts of interest.
Source: BMJ Open
