Statistical evidence supports possible link between hearing loss and Parkinson's

Could hearing loss antedate the motor manifestations of Parkinson's and be a risk factor for incidence of the disease? A study by researchers at the UK's Lancaster University has worked through UK Biobank data on 159,395 persons known to have undergone speech-in-noise testing and who were free from Parkinson's at the point of assessment. Spanning an average follow-up period of 14.24 years, analysis found 810 participants were subsequently diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, indicating a 57% increased risk of Parkinson's for every 10 dB increase in baseline hearing impairment. The authors, who postulate that causal mechanisms might be similar to those some academics suggest lie behind hearing loss links to dementia, have concluded that their Biobank analyses supplement prior research by further supporting" the existence of a relationship between hearing impairment and Parkinson's incidence" . They stress, however, that empirical analysis of prior evidence is scant, hence...