Hearing loss affects hundreds of millions people worldwide. The World Health Organization estimates that 500 million people worldwide have a mild to moderate to severe or greater hearing loss. While the prevalence of moderate hearing loss (above 40dB) in the Western population over 70 years old exceeds 27%, the incidence is rising rapidly among younger people as well.
The impact of hearing loss is multifaceted and includes loss of productivity, social, health and economic consequences. Hearing loss significantly increases the risk of dementia and depression. Even moderate hearing loss increases the likelihood of developing dementia three-fold (Livingston et al., Lancet 2020).