Countries with the highest reported levels of hearing loss also have the lowest reported use of hearing aids, finds international research published in the open access journal BMJ Global Health.

And men are generally more likely than women to report difficulties with their hearing, although this gender divide narrows with age, the findings show.

An estimated 1.57 billion people-equivalent to 1 in 5 of the world’s population-had hearing loss in 2019. And it’s predicted that it will affect 2.45 billion people by 2050, say the researchers.

Hearing loss is associated with an array of problems in adults. These include depression , loneliness , social isolation , falls and fall-related injuries, postoperative complications, cardiovascular disease , cognitive decline and even deat

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