Health-related quality of life in elderly hearing aid users vs. non-users

Publication date: Available online 8 December 2017 Source:Egyptian Journal of Ear, Nose, Throat and Allied Sciences Author(s): Eman A. Said Background and aim Presbycusis, is usually a harbinger of aging. The negative consequences are not limited to an auditory impairment but influences a range of psychosocial and physical health concerns. The cornerstone of audiologic intervention is the use hearing aids. Optimal management should include an evaluation of quality of life (QoL) status and its assessment. Aim of this work: To quantify the quality of life of hearing impaired elderly individuals (HIEI) and to assess hearing aids impact on QoL. Subjects Elderly patients (1 2 7) above 60 years had sensorineural hearing loss ranged from mild to severe degree of hearing loss, only 24 of them (21.1%) were fitted with monaural hearing aid. Methods Each subject of this study underwent basic audiologic evaluation, speech perception in noise, aided tonal sound field threshold and aided speech tests. Generic WHOQOL-BREF and hearing handicap inventory for the elderly (HHIE). Results There were significant lower aided tonal sound field thresholds (ATSFTs) at 0.5, 1, 2 and 4 kHz of hearing aid users when compared with values of non-users at all tested frequencies. Hearing aid users perform better in all domains of WHO QOL-BREF with significant reductions in emotional, social and total scores of HHIE in users group compared with non-users indicated improvement in their QOL. Ther...
Source: Egyptian Journal of Ear, Nose, Throat and Allied Sciences - Category: ENT & OMF Source Type: research