TY - JOUR
T1 - Quality-of-life changes and hearing impairment
T2 - A randomized trial
AU - Mulrow, C. D.
AU - Aguilar, C.
AU - Endicott, J. E.
AU - Tuley, M. R.
AU - Velez, R.
AU - Charlip, W. S.
AU - Rhodes, M. C.
AU - Hill, J. A.
AU - DeNino, L. A.
PY - 1990/8/1
Y1 - 1990/8/1
N2 - Objective: To assess whether hearing aids improve the quality of life of elderly persons with hearing loss. Setting: Primary care clinics at a Bureau of Veterans Affairs hospital. Patients: 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. Intervention: 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. Measurements and Main 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 < 0.0001), communication function (24.2; CI, 17.2 to 31.2; P < 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. Conclusion: Hearing loss is associated with important adverse effects on the quality of life of elderly persons, effects which are reversible with hearing aids.
AB - Objective: To assess whether hearing aids improve the quality of life of elderly persons with hearing loss. Setting: Primary care clinics at a Bureau of Veterans Affairs hospital. Patients: 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. Intervention: 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. Measurements and Main 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 < 0.0001), communication function (24.2; CI, 17.2 to 31.2; P < 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. Conclusion: Hearing loss is associated with important adverse effects on the quality of life of elderly persons, effects which are reversible with hearing aids.
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M3 - Article
C2 - 2197909
AN - SCOPUS:0025303026
SN - 0003-4819
VL - 113
SP - 188
EP - 194
JO - Annals of internal medicine
JF - Annals of internal medicine
IS - 3
ER -