Hearing loss may be more than frustrating millions of older adults, but it may also signal a greater risk of death, according to the results of a new study.

Adults ages 70 years or older with moderate or more severe hearing impairment have a 54% increased risk of all causes of death, as compared to older adults with normal hearing or mild impairments, according to researchers.

The results of the study were published online on Thursday in JAMA Otolaryngology — Head & Neck Surgery.

The purpose of the study was to answer questions about hearing and longevity, explained corresponding author Kevin Contrera at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in a phone interview. He added that his studies in the past decade have come to similar conclusions.

Contrera credits senior author, Dr. Frank Lin at JHU School of Medicine, who has done pioneering research on hearing and health in older adults.

Contrera said that hearing impairment is common in the U.S., affecting 70 percent of adults aged 70 or older, but only one in five have a hearing aid. The reason so many older adults forgo hearing aids is that they are expensive and Medicare and many insurers won’t foot the bill, said Contrera.

“The public is starting to take notice of hearing impairment, and it’s not something we can ignore in our grandparents,” he said.

Contrera compared hearing loss with high blood pressure, which was regarded as not a worrisome health problem decades ago. The “tide is changing,” he said.

Healthy People 2020, which set goals for U.S. health, has objectives to increase screening and treatment of hearing loss.

This study uses data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey — an annual survey of health and nutrition from a representative sample of U.S. residents. Contrera and colleagues included 1,166 people in the analysis that came from data from 2005 to 2006 and 2009 to 2010 surveys.

The research team concluded that people with hearing impairment tended to be older, male, white, former smokers, have lower education attainment, and have a history of heart disease and stroke.

Contrera noted that age was by far the most important predictor of hearing loss, but added the team controlled for other demographic variables and cardiovascular disease. Interestingly, results found that people with moderate-to-severe hearing loss had a greater risk of death (39%) as compared to people with normal hearing.

Mild hearing loss had an elevated risk as well with a 21% increased risk of death and compared to those with normal hearing.

“The problem is [seen] a lot of older adults and ignored for the most part. Hearing loss is significant for a lot of things — mental health, cognitive health and physical health.”

Contrera said the next major step would be to conduct a randomized control trial to determine whether hearing aids could reduce mortality.

“Until we demonstrate that hearing aids improve health and longevity, it’s hard to make a case for insurance to cover them.”

Contrera said that he “doesn’t take a stance” on the debate that if Medicare were to cover hearing aids, they won’t pay market rates.

Six companies dominate 95% of the hearing aid market and selling practically identical technology at upwards of $6,000, according to a 2013 Bloomberg report.

These prices generally include the hearing aid bundled with audiologist services in fitting and fixing them, according to The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.