Quality of life following cochlear implants in elderly recipients: a prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND

Deafness is a leading cause of disability worldwide. This prospective cohort study investigates the impact of cochlear implants on self-reported quality of life in post-lingually deaf adults.

METHODS

The self-administered 36-item World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 and the Speech, Spatial, and Qualities of Hearing Scale questionnaires were prospectively used to investigate the impact of cochlear implants in 98 post-lingually deaf adults aged more than or equal to 50 years.

RESULTS

Quality of life improved post-cochlear implant in the cumulative scores and scores for all domains of the Speech, Spatial, and Qualities of Hearing Scale (p < 0.05). QoL improved post-cochlear implant in the sub-domains related to cognition and participation in society of the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 (p < 0.05), but there was no significant difference in the cumulative score. Subgroup analysis showed improvement in the participation in society domain only and only in males and participants aged younger than 75 years (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Cochlear implant improves quality of life in post-lingually deaf adults.