TITLE:
Appropriate Hearing Aids Significantly Increase the Quality of Life in Presbycusis: An Observational Study
AUTHORS:
A. H. M. Delwar
KEYWORDS:
Presbycusis, Hearing Aid, Pure Tone Audiometry, WHOQOL, HHIE-S
JOURNAL NAME:
International Journal of Otolaryngology and Head & Neck Surgery,
Vol.13 No.6,
November
18,
2024
ABSTRACT: Background: Hearing is a unique sense that allows communication. Hearing loss leads to mental depression, social deprivation, cognitive decline, and gradually decreasing daily performance, making the person handicapped. Presbycusis is a disease of older people, suffering 360 million worldwide. Methods: The present study is a cross-sectional study in the Comilla Medical College (https://www.cumc.edu.bd) and Cumilla Medical Centre (http://www.comillamedicalcentre.com/) of the Department of the Otolaryngology and Head-Neck Surgery Cumilla, Bangladesh, from 01 February 2024 to 31 July 2024. Results: The study was conducted in a developing country searching for adequate rehabilitation with hearing aids at maximum hearing loss. Hearing rehabilitation faces challenges like low awareness, stigma, and insufficient healthcare infrastructure. The paired sample T-test was done between pure tone audiometry (PTA) tests before and after using a hearing aid in the right and left ear. It showed that hearing aids significantly increased hearing that p ≤ 0.001. The t-test of WHO quality of life before and after using hearing aids revealed p ≤ 0.001, and the HHIE-S score exhibited p ≤ 0.001. Conclusion: It needs adequate support to improve hearing health by increasing the number of audiologists and trained healthcare workers and supplying low-cost hearing aids and services.