For individuals with hearing loss, use of hearing aid devices is associated with a reduced risk for long-term cognitive decline, according to a review published in JAMA Neurology.

The authors from Singapore say their findings may serve as an impetus for doctors treating patients with hearing loss to persuade them to adopt hearing devices.

They examined the associations of hearing aids and cochlear implants with cognitive decline and dementia in a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Data were included from 31 studies with 137,484 participants; of these studies, 19 were included in quantitative analyses.