Quality-of-life changes and hearing impairment. A randomized trial.
OBJECTIVE
To assess whether hearing aids improve the quality of life of elderly persons with hearing loss.


METHODS
Primary care clinics at a Bureau of Veterans Affairs hospital.


METHODS
One hundred and ninety-four elderly veterans who were identified as being hearing impaired from a screening survey involving 771 consecutive clinic patients. Of the original 194, 188 (97%) completed the trial.


METHODS
Subjects were randomly assigned to either receive a hearing aid (n = 95) or join a waiting list (n = 99). MAIN ENDPOINTS: A comprehensive battery of disease-specific and generic quality-of-life measures were administered at baseline, 6 weeks, and 4 months.


RESULTS
Persons assigned to the two groups were similar in age, ethnicity, education, marital status, occupation, and comorbid diseases. At baseline, 82% of subjects reported adverse effects on quality of life due to hearing impairment, and 24% were depressed. At follow-up, a significant change in score improvements for social and emotional function (34.0; 95% CI, 27.3 to 40.8; P less than 0.0001), communication function (24.2; CI, 17.2 to 31.2; P less than 0.0001), cognitive function (0.28; CI, 0.08 to 0.48; P = 0.008), and depression (0.80; CI, 0.09 to 1.51; P = 0.03) was seen in subjects who received hearing aids compared with those assigned to the waiting list. Six drop-outs (three per group), no crossovers, and no significant changes in cointerventions were seen. Average, self-reported, daily aid use in the hearing aid group was 8 hours.


CONCLUSIONS
Hearing loss is associated with important adverse effects on the quality of life of elderly persons, effects which are reversible with hearing aids.
Audie L. Murphy Memorial Veterans Hospital, San Antonio, Texas.
C D
CD
Mulrow
C
C
Aguilar
J E
JE
Endicott
M R
MR
Tuley
R
R
Velez
W S
WS
Charlip
M C
MC
Rhodes
J A
JA
Hill
L A
LA
DeNino
D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003142:Communication; D015897:Comorbidity; D006310:Hearing Aids; D034381:Hearing Loss / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006314:Hearing Loss, Conductive / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010349:Patient Compliance; D010352:Patient Dropouts; D011788:Quality of Life; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic