Domestic research has found that patients with severe hearing loss who received auditory rehabilitation, such as cochlear implants or hearing aids, had a lower risk of developing dementia than patients who did not receive rehabilitation.

At the “Hearing Loss Expert Forum” held at Lotte Hotel in Sogong-dong, Seoul on the 1st, domestic studies analyzing the association between hearing loss and dementia, pediatric and adult cochlear implant treatment cases, and support systems in Korea and overseas were presented.

Professor Jeong Jae-ho of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology at Hanyang University Hospital presented study results that used National Health Insurance Service data to track over an extended period the incidence of dementia in patients with severe hearing loss, depending on whether they received auditory rehabilitation. After adjusting for age, sex, income, and comorbidities, the risk of dementia was about 45% lower in the cochlear implant treatment group and about 27% lower in the hearing aid user group compared with patients who did not receive auditory rehabilitation. There was no statistically significant difference in dementia risk between the cochlear implant treatment group and the normal-hearing group.

The researchers noted, however, that these results do not prove a dementia-preventive effect of cochlear implant treatment. As an observational study, additional research is needed to confirm any causal relationship between treatment and reduced dementia risk.

Professor Jung Jin-se of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology at Severance Hospital presented pediatric and adult cochlear implant treatment cases. A one-year-old girl diagnosed with bilateral profound hearing loss showed improved auditory performance and speech sound usage following bilateral cochlear implant surgery. In a study analyzing auditory outcomes in children with severe to profound hearing loss who underwent surgery before 12 months of age, the early-surgery group showed overall equivalent or better outcomes compared with the later-surgery group.

As an adult case, a 71-year-old woman who had been using hearing aids but could not sufficiently recognize speech sounds underwent cochlear implant surgery. Her sentence recognition score increased from 28% before surgery to 89% three months after surgery and 100% six months after surgery.

Cochlear implants are performed on patients with severe to profound hearing loss who find it difficult to sufficiently understand speech even with hearing aids. While hearing aids amplify sound to utilize residual hearing, cochlear implants convert sound into electrical signals that stimulate the auditory nerve. After surgery, patients must wear an external sound processor and continue with “mapping” and auditory rehabilitation. Recent surgeries sometimes utilize smartphone applications and similar tools.

The issue of support for external sound processors in relation to the long-term use of cochlear implants was also discussed. A cochlear implant consists of an internal device implanted in the body and an external sound processor that receives and processes sound. Currently, under the Korean National Health Insurance system, benefits are provided for bilateral cochlear implant surgery in patients under 19 years of age who meet certain criteria. For external sound processors, one additional reimbursement is available if specific conditions—such as loss or irreparable damage—are met, but periodic replacement is not supported.

Jason Chai, Director of Public Affairs for the Asia-Pacific region at Cochlear, compared cochlear implant support systems in Korea, Australia, and Japan. He explained that since June 2024, Japan has been providing support for sound processor replacement when certain criteria are met, and Australia also supports sound processor replacement for cochlear implant users under 26 years of age through public funding and other schemes.

During the discussion, participants addressed ways to improve support systems, including replacement support for sound processors for children and adolescents, post-surgery auditory and speech rehabilitation, and adult patients’ access to cochlear implant treatment.

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