Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Observational Study
. 2016 Sep;126(9):2110-5.
doi: 10.1002/lary.25848. Epub 2016 Jan 17.

Quality of life after intervention with a cochlear implant or hearing aid

Kevin J Contrera  1 , Joshua Betz  2 , Lingsheng Li  3 , Caitlin R Blake  2 , Yoon K Sung  4 , Janet S Choi  1 , Frank R Lin  2   5   6   7   8
Affiliations
Observational Study

Quality of life after intervention with a cochlear implant or hearing aid

Kevin J Contrera et al. Laryngoscope. 2016 Sep.

Abstract

Objectives/hypothesis: To investigate the impact of hearing aid and cochlear implant use on quality of life in adults.

Study design: Prospective observational cohort study.

Methods: One hundred thirteen adults aged ≥50 years with postlingual hearing loss receiving routine clinical care at a tertiary academic medical center were evaluated with the Medical Outcome Study Short Form-36 before and 6 and 12 months after intervention with hearing aids or cochlear implants. Change in score was assessed using linear mixed effect models adjusted for age, gender, education, and history of hypertension, diabetes, and smoking.

Results: A significant increase in Mental Component Summary score was observed in both hearing aid and cochlear implant users from baseline to 12 months, with cochlear implant users increasing nearly twice that of hearing aid users (hearing aid: 2.49 [95% confidence interval: 0.11, 4.88], P = .041; cochlear implant: 4.20 [95% confidence interval: 1.85, 6.55], P < .001). The most substantial increases were observed in individuals with the lowest baseline scores. There was no significant difference in physical component summary score from baseline to 12 months.

Conclusions: Treatment of hearing loss with hearing aids and cochlear implants results in significant increases in mental health quality of life. The majority of the increase is observed by 6 months post-treatment, and we observed differential effects of treatment depending on the level of baseline quality of life score with the greatest gains observed in those with the lowest scores.

Level of evidence: 2b. Laryngoscope, 126:2110-2115, 2016.

Keywords: Quality of life; cochlear implant; hearing aid; hearing impairment; mental health.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Short Form-36 mental component summary score at 12 months vs. baseline with LOESS fit and 95% confidence bands.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Change in Short Form-36 mental component summary score from baseline to 12 months by baseline mental component summary score with LOESS fit and 95% confidence bands.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Short Form-36 physical component summary score at 12 months vs. baseline. Shaded area equal 95% confidence intervals.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Lin FR, Thorpe R, Gordon-Salant S, Ferrucci L. Hearing loss prevalence and risk factors among older adults in the United States. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2011;66(5):582–590. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Lin FR, Niparko JK, Ferrucci L. Hearing loss prevalence in the United States. Arch Intern Med. 2011;171(20):1851–1852. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Lin FR, Yaffe K, Xia J, et al. Hearing loss and cognitive decline in older adults. JAMA Intern Med. 2013;173(4):293–299. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Lin FR, Ferrucci L, Metter EJ, An Y, Zonderman AB, Resnick SM. Hearing loss and cognition in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. Neuropsychology. 2011;25(6):763–770. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Valentijn SA, van Boxtel MP, van Hooren SA, et al. Change in sensory functioning predicts change in cognitive functioning: results from a 6-year follow-up in the maastricht aging study. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2005;53(3):374–380. - PubMed

Publication types