Early Prevention Reduces Costs

Inadequate preventive care and delayed diagnosis result in exorbitant costs every year. Read on to find out what those costs are and how they can be prevented.

Untreated hearing lossresults in annual costs worldwide equivalent to 750 billion U.S. dollars, according to a recent study by the World Health Organization (WHO). Experts attribute this to inadequate preventive care as well as delays in the diagnosis and treatment of hearing loss.

This staggering amount breaks down as follows:

  • Health care expenditures (67 to 107 billion U.S. dollars)
  • Education and care costs for childrenwith hearing impairments (3.9 billion US dollars)
  • Productivity losses due to early retirement (105 billion U.S. dollars)
  • Societal costs resulting from social isolation
  • Social exclusion due to hearing loss (US$573 billion)

Regular hearing tests save money

In Germany alone, the annual cost amounts to 30 billion euros, according to a Europe-wide study by the British Ear Foundation. Dr. Jan Löhler, director of the Scientific Institute for Applied Otolaryngology, attributes this primarily to inadequate preventive careas well as delayed diagnosis and treatment of hearing loss: “Although we live in the country with the most efficient healthcare system in the world, even here the symptom of hearing loss is still given far too little attention, and the associated conditions are diagnosed by ENT specialists far too late. The consequencesfor those affected can include, among other things, a decline in cognitive function and an increased risk of falls. Since hearing loss often begins gradually, the underlying conditions can only be identified through consistent early detection. We have a tremendous task ahead of us here.”

A modern hearing aidcan significantly reduce these costs: “It has been proven that prevention, early and regular hearing tests, and—when necessary—the consistent use of hearing aids are the best ways to minimize the costs associated with hearing loss,” emphasizes Dr. Shelly Chadha of the WHO: “Investingin the early detection and treatment of hearing loss is cost-effective.”

A summary of the WHO study (in English) can be found here.