Prediction of the use of conventional hearing aids in Korean adults with unilateral hearing impairment

Objective: To determine the use of a hearing aid at six months post-fitting and to evaluate the predictors of its ongoing use in Korean adults with unilateral hearing impairment (HI). Design: Retrospective study at a secondary referral hospital over a 15-year period. Study sample: This study analysed 119 adults with unilateral HI who had been recommended for hearing amplification (55 men and 64 women, mean age, 58.0 ± 11.7 years). Six months after the fitting, all of the participants were surveyed regarding subsequent decisions and actions about obtaining hearing aids. Results: General uptake rate for a hearing aid was 68.1% (58.0% of participants surveyed were successful users, and 10.1% were intermittent users). The most significant parameter associated with hearing-aid use was social and/or work activities (R² = 0.457), and the significant predictors for successful hearing-aid use were social and/or work activities and method of signal processing (discriminatory power = 56.3%). Conclusions: Six months post-fitting, 68.1% of Korean adults with unilateral HI who had agreed to try a hearing aid continued to use it regularly. The predictors for hearing-aid use six months post-fitting included social and/or work activities and digital signal processing.     

Retinal microvascular abnormalities and age-related hearing loss: the Blue Mountains hearing study

OBJECTIVE: Microvascular disease may contribute to hearing loss. We tested this hypothesis by examining the relation of retinal microvascular abnormalities and hearing loss. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional, population-based study. We performed retinal photography and pure-tone audiometry on 1511 older individuals (ages 54+ years) from the Blue Mountains Eye Study population. Examination of the retinal microvasculature provides a noninvasive means of assessing systemic microvascular changes associated with cardiovascular disease, especially since reliable methods of quantifying retinal microvascular abnormalities from retinal photographs have recently been developed. Trained graders masked to audiometry data assessed retinal photographs for signs of retinal microvascular damage, for example, focal arteriolar narrowing, arteriovenous nicking, and retinopathy (microaneurysms, retinal hemorrhages), and used a computer-assisted method to measure arteriolar and venular calibers. We defined moderate or profound hearing loss as pure-tone average air-conducted hearing thresholds in the better ear worse than 40 dB at 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 kHz. We used odds ratios (OR), 95% confidence intervals (CI), and probability values to present the associations between retinal microvascular abnormalities and hearing loss; an OR >1 indicates that persons with the microvascular abnormality are more likely to have hearing loss, a CI that includes 1.00 (e.g., 0.85 to 2.34) indicates no statistically significant association (i.e., the association may have occurred due to chance), whereas a value of p < 0.05 indicates that an association is unlikely to have occurred due to chance. RESULTS: The proportion of women and men with moderate or profound hearing loss was 10.4% (90/862) and 15.4% (100/649), respectively. After adjustment for age, sex, blood pressure, and other risk factors for hearing loss, retinopathy in women was associated with hearing loss (adjusted OR, 2.10; 95% CI, 1.09 to 4.06, p = 0.002) but not in men. Associations were stronger for moderate or worse low-frequency (0.25 to 1.0 kHz) hearing loss in women (adjusted OR, 3.00; 95% CI, 1.25 to 7.19, p = 0.0005) but were absent for high-frequency hearing loss. In men, no retinal microvascular abnormalities were associated with hearing loss at either low or high frequencies. CONCLUSIONS: Retinopathy, a sign of retinal microvascular damage, was associated with hearing loss in women but not in men. Our results provide modest support to the hypothesis that microvascular disease may play a role in age-related hearing loss in women, particularly low-frequency losses.     

Hearing impairment among adults: The impact of cardiovascular diseases and cardiovascular risk factors

Objective: To investigate the influence of cardiovascular diseases on hearing impairment (HI) among adults. Furthermore, to seek other potential risk factors for HI, such as smoking, obesity, and socioeconomic class. Design: A cross-sectional, unscreened, population-based, epidemiological study among adults. Study sample: The subjects (n = 850), aged 54–66 years, were randomly sampled from the population register. A questionnaire survey, an otological examination, and pure-tone audiometry were performed. Results: Cardiovascular diseases did not increase the risk for HI in a propensity-score adjusted logistic regression model: OR 1.24, 95% CI 0.79 to 1.96 for HI defined by better ear hearing level (BEHL), and OR 1.48, 95% CI 0.96 to 2.28 for HI defined by worse ear hearing level (WEHL), in the 0.5–4 kHz frequency range. Heavy smoking is a risk factor for HI among men (BEHL: OR 1.96, WEHL: OR 1.88) and women (WEHL: OR 2.4). Among men, obesity (BEHL, OR 1.85) and lower socioeconomic class (BEHL: OR 2.79, WEHL: OR 2.28) are also risk factors for HI. Conclusion: No significant association between cardiovascular disease and HI was found.     

Acceptable noise level (ANL) and real-world hearing-aid success in Taiwanese listeners

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this prospective study was to investigate the relationship between acceptable noise level (ANL), which was measured using Taiwanese and the international speech test signal (ISTS), and real-world hearing-aid success for listeners who were representative of the population commonly seen in clinics. Design: Unaided ANLs were measured pre-hearing-aid fitting. Hearing-aid success was assessed three months post-fitting using the international outcome inventory for hearing aids (IOI-HA) and a hearing-aid use questionnaire. Study sample: Eighty adults with hearing impairment completed the study. Results: Both Taiwanese and ISTS ANLs were significantly associated with hearing-aid success, with higher ANLs suggesting poorer outcomes. However, the ANL's prediction accuracy for the probability of hearing-aid success was either much lower than that suggested by some literature, or was not much different from that of simply predicting all listeners as successful users. Conclusions: The current study suggested the possibility of using ANL to predict hearing-aid success. However, the usefulness of ANL as a clinical tool is unlikely to be as great as indicated by the literature.     

Health-related quality of life in adults with hearing impairment before and after hearing-aid rehabilitation in Finland

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in adults with hearing impairment in Finland before and after hearing rehabilitation. Design: The study was prospective with hearing-aid rehabilitation as the intervention. The data was collected, using the 15D instrument, before and six months after hearing-aid rehabilitation. The data was analysed using t-tests and multiple linear regression methods. Study sample: The study sample included 949 adults with hearing impairment, and the control group included a sample of age- and gender-standardized general population. Results: The study population had significantly poorer HRQoL on most dimensions of the 15D when compared to the control group both before and after hearing-aid rehabilitation. Hearing-aid rehabilitation resulted in improved mean scores on the dimensions of hearing and in the overall 15D score that were statistically significant, although the mean improvement in the overall score was marginal. Self-reported hearing ability can better predict the change in HRQoL, as a result of a hearing aid, when compared with measured hearing sensitivity. Conclusions: The study supports the hypothesis that on average, use of a unilateral hearing aid results in improved subjective hearing and marginal improvement in HRQoL in adults with hearing impairment.     

Hearing of 75-year old persons over three decades: Has hearing changed?

Abstract

Objective: The state of hearing in 75-year old persons was measured in a population based epidemiological study with the aim of studying if hearing had changed during a time span of 29 years. Design: An epidemiological study of generational effects in three age cohorts. Study sample: Three age cohorts were included: cohort 1 (n: 267) born in 1976–77, cohort 4 (n: 197) in 1990–91, and cohort 6 (n: 570) in 2005. The same test procedures using pure-tone audiometry and a short questionnaire were applied to the three cohorts of 75-year old residents in the same city. Results: The hearing was essentially unchanged during the span of the investigation—almost three decades. Low-frequency hearing was up to about 10 dB poorer in the most recently studied cohort compared to the previously studied cohorts. The reason for this difference is considered to depend on methodological factors. Self-assessed hearing and tinnitus was mainly unchanged, or had minor changes both to the better and to the worse. Conclusions: The hearing, both measured with pure-tone audiometry and with a short questionnaire, of 75-year old persons has not changed at all, or only marginally, over three decades.     

Development and evaluation of an audiology app for iPhone/iPad mobile devices

Conclusion: The application described in this study appears to be accurate and valid, thus allowing calculation of a hearing handicap and assessment of the pure-tone air conduction threshold with iPhone/iPad devices. Objective: To develop and evaluate a newly developed professional, computer-based hearing handicap calculator and a manual hearing sensitivity assessment test for the iPhone and iPad (AudCal). Methods: Multi-center prospective non-randomized validation study. One hundred and ten consecutive adult participants underwent two hearing evaluations, a standard audiometry and a pure-tone air conduction test using AudCal with an iOS device. The hearing handicap calculation accuracy was evaluated comparing AudCal vs a web-based calculator. Results: Hearing loss was found in 83 and 84 out of 220 standard audiometries and AudCal hearing tests (Cohen’s Kappa = 0.89). The mean difference between AudCal and standard audiogram thresholds was ?0.21 ± 6.38 dB HL. Excellent reliability and concordance between standard audiometry and the application’s hearing loss assessment test were obtained (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.96; intra-class correlation coefficient = 0.93). AudCal vs a web-based calculator were perfectly correlated (Pearson’s r = 1).     

Vision and hearing in old age

The concomitant occurrence of hearing and visual impairment was investigated as part of an epidemiological longitudinal study of elderly people. An age cohort. originally consisting of 973 elderly people, was examined with visual and hearing tests three times at ages 70, 81-82 and 88. The best-corrected visual acuity was assessed. The hearing was measured by pure-tone audiometry and whispered and spoken voice (WSV). At age 70 there was no co-existence of visual and hearing impairments, and about 70% had normal vision and hearing. At 81-82 years 3-6% (WSV and audiometry. respectively) had low vision (VA < or = 0.3) and moderate to severe hearing loss, and more than one-tenth had normal vision and hearing. At 88 years 8-13% had low vision and moderate to severe hearing loss, and none of the men and less than one-tenth of the women had normal vision and hearing. At age 88 three times as many women as men had the combination of low vision and normal hearing. Normal vision with the combination of moderate to severe hearing loss was more often found in 88-year-old men. Mild impairments of the two senses were found in 0.5% at age 70 in 22%, 11% (WSV, audiometry) at age 81-82 and in 23%, 9% at age 88 years. At age 70 there was a statistical correlation between visual acuity and hearing measured with pure-tone audiometry in the male group. Those men with better hearing had slightly better visual capacity than those with hearing loss. No correlations were found for women at age 70 nor for women and men at ages 81-82 and 88. Ophthalmologists and audiology physicians should cooperate closely in the rehabilitation process to reduce disability and improve function and wellbeing among the oldest old.     

Increased prevalence of early cochlear damage in young patients with type 1 diabetes detected by distortion product otoacoustic emissions

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the hearing of adolescents with diabetes mellitus type 1(DM1) by otoacoustic emissions (OAEs), and by comparing different tests with pure-tone audiometry to identify potential early cochlear impairments. Design: Pure-tone audiometry, transient evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAEs), and distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) were performed in a group of adolescents with and without DM1. Clinical characteristics, disease duration, and glycated haemoglobin levels were studied. Study sample: Participants were 40 adolescents with DM1 and 40 healthy subjects. Results: Sensorineural hearing loss, affecting frequencies of 6000 and 8000 Hz, was found only in DM1 subjects when compared to the controls (7.7% vs. 0%, p < 0.05). A higher prevalence of cochlear damage was detected by DPOAE responses, 32% belonging from the diabetic group, vs. 3.7% in the control group. Absent TEOAE responses were observed in only three individuals, all from the diabetic group (5.1% of the tests performed in the diabetic group). Additionally, hearing thresholds were better in diabetic subjects with good control when compared to ones with regular or poor control (p = 0.00). Hearing thresholds were higher in poorly controlled diabetics when compared to subjects with good (p = 0.000) or regular control (p = 0.006). Conclusion: Early evidence of cochlear damage was detected in adolescents with DM1 leading to hearing loss at high frequencies. Abnormal DPOAEs responses were found more frequently than the alterations in TEOAEs and pure-tone audiometry, suggesting that DPOAEs evaluation is the most sensitive and it could be used for monitoring the progression of cochlear damage during the early stages of hearing impairment.     

Retrospective audiological analysis of bone conduction versus round window vibratory stimulation in patients with mixed hearing loss

Objective: To compare audiological outcomes in mild-to-moderate mixed hearing loss patients treated with a bone-anchored hearing aid or an active middle-ear implant. Analysis aimed to refine criteria used in preoperative selection of implant type. Design: Retrospective comparative analysis of audiological data. Follow-up time ranged between 0.55 and 8.8 years. Study sample: For detailed comparative analysis, 12 patients (six in each group) with comparable bone conduction thresholds and similar clinical characteristics were selected. A larger cohort of 48 patient files were used to evaluate overall audiological indication criteria (24 per group). Results: In free-field tone audiometry, Baha patients showed mean aided thresholds between 40–48 dB, whereas hearing thresholds for VSB patients were 25–43 dB. Baha and VSB users had mean WRS of 56% and 82%, respectively, at 65 dB. Better speech understanding in noise was seen with the VSB. Conclusion: Analysis of the main cohort (n = 48) showed that treatment with round window vibroplasty leads to better hearing performance than treatment with a bone-anchored hearing device, if the bone conduction pure-tone average (0.5 to 4 kHz) is poorer than 35 dB HL. Audiological analysis in the smaller comparative analysis showed similar findings.     

Auditory brainstem responses to CE-Chirp® stimuli for normal ears and those with sensorineural hearing loss

Objective: Evaluation of the characteristic differences between click-and CE-Chirp-evoked auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) in normal hearing and sensorineural hearing loss. Design: A prospective study. Ears with normal hearing and with sensorineural hearing loss were evaluated. Pure-tone audiometry and click-and CE-Chirp evoked ABRs exams were conducted for all ears. Visual detection levels, wave-V amplitudes, and latencies of the ABRs were assessed. Study sample: Twenty-two ears with normal hearing and 22 ears with sloping type sensorineural hearing loss were examined. Results: In normal-hearing ears, mean amplitudes were larger for CE-chirps than for clicks at all intensities until 80 dB nHL, at which the amplitudes dropped off, presumably due to upward spread of excitation. In ears with sensorineural hearing loss, however the drop-off was less significant at 80 dB nHL. Comparisons with pure-tone audiometry findings revealed ABRs to CE-Chirps to correlate at 0.5, 1, 2, and 3 kHz, and to clicks at 1, 2, 3, and 4 kHz. Conclusions: The CE-Chirp has advantages over clicks for examining normal ears. However, under high-level stimulation, these advantages are no longer present. In ears with sensorineural hearing loss, the upward spread of excitation is less prominent. The CE-Chirps results correlate significantly to low frequency audiometric findings at 0.5 kHz, while clicks do not.     

Dietary habits and hearing

Abstract

Objective: Study groups from three age cohorts of 70–75 year-olds were investigated to search for possible correlations between dietary habits and auditory function. Design: A cross-sectional, epidemiological study. Study sample: A total number of 524 people (275 women, 249 men) were recruited from three age cohorts. The study sample was representative of the general population. All participants answered a diet history and were tested with pure-tone audiometry. Eleven categories of food consumption were related to pure-tone averages of low-mid frequency hearing, and high frequency hearing. Results: Two consistent correlations between diet and hearing were observed. One was a correlation between good hearing and a high consumption of fish in the male group. The other was a correlation between poor high frequency hearing and a high consumption of food rich in low molecular carbohydrates in both genders; a larger effect size was seen in females. Conclusions: The study indicates that diet is important for aural health in aging. According to this study fish is beneficial to hearing, whereas consumption of “junk food”, rich in low molecular carbohydrates, is detrimental. Other correlations, e.g. between high consumption of antioxidants, were not demonstrated here, but cannot be excluded.     

Auditory steady-state responses to multiple simultaneous stimuli in children with functional or sensorineural hearing loss

The goal of our study was to identify the role of auditory steady-state responses for hearing assessment in patients with functional hearing loss. The study design was to compare auditory steady-state response thresholds and standard pure-tone audiometry thresholds between patients with functional or sensorineural hearing loss. Subjects comprised 16 patients (24 ears) with functional hearing loss and 17 patients (24 ears) with sensorineural hearing loss. Differences and correlations between auditory steady-state response thresholds and standard pure-tone audiometry thresholds at 500, 1,000, 2,000 and 4,000 Hz were evaluated. In children with functional hearing loss, pure-tone audiometry thresholds and auditory steady-state response thresholds were significantly different at all frequencies and were not significantly correlated. In patients with sensorineural hearing loss, pure-tone audiometry thresholds and auditory steady-state response thresholds did not differ significantly at any frequencies and were significantly correlated. Auditory steady-state responses may have principal role in the assessment of auditory brainstem acuity, particularly at low frequencies in patients with functional hearing loss.     

Prevalence of hearing loss in patients with late-onset Pompe disease: Audiological and otological consequences

Abstract

Objective: The metabolic disorder Pompe disease mainly affects the skeletal muscle in adults. The hearing impairment due to stapedius muscle involvement in adult patients is not known. Design: The frequency, severity, and type of hearing impairment was characterized prospectively using pure-tone audiometry, tympanometry, stapedial reflexes, otoacoustic emissions, and brainstem-evoked response audiometry in adult patients on enzyme replacement therapy for genetically confirmed Pompe disease. Study sample: 11 adult patients (median age: 47 years, range: 22–71). Results: Four patients complained about subjective hearing disturbances. Using World Health Organization definition of hearing impairment, abnormal hearing thresholds resulting in mild hearing loss were found in 36% of patients. Compared to normative data (ISO 7029), the hearing threshold was below the median in all but three ears. Stapedial reflexes could not be elicited ipsilateral in 18% and contralateral in 36%. Auditory brainstem responses showed no retrocochlear pathology. Conclusions: The prevalence of hearing loss slightly exceeded the normative data of the general population. Consistent with previous studies the hearing impairment was usually mild. The percentage of pathological stapedial reflexes exceeded that of matched control subjects and suggests a selective involvement of the stapedius muscle, potentially as a sequela of Pompe disease.     

Ototoxicity (cochleotoxicity) classifications: A review

Objective: Drug-mediated ototoxicity, specifically cochleotoxicity, is a concern for patients receiving medications for the treatment of serious illness. A number of classification schemes exist, most of which are based on pure-tone audiometry, in order to assist non-audiological/non-otological specialists in the identification and monitoring of iatrogenic hearing loss. This review identifies the primary classification systems used in cochleototoxicity monitoring. By bringing together classifications published in discipline-specific literature, the paper aims to increase awareness of their relative strengths and limitations in the assessment and monitoring of ototoxic hearing loss and to indicate how future classification systems may improve upon the status-quo. Design: Literature review. Study sample: PubMed identified 4878 articles containing the search term ototox*. Results: A systematic search identified 13 key classification systems. Cochleotoxicity classification systems can be divided into those which focus on hearing change from a baseline audiogram and those that focus on the functional impact of the hearing loss. Conclusions: Common weaknesses of these grading scales included a lack of sensitivity to small adverse changes in hearing thresholds, a lack of high-frequency audiometry (>8 kHz), and lack of indication of which changes are likely to be clinically significant for communication and quality of life.     

On the relationship between functional hearing and depression

Objective: To establish the effect of self-rated and measured functional hearing on depression, taking age and gender into account. Additionally, the study investigates if hearing-aid usage mitigates the effect, and if other physical health problems and social engagement confound it. Design: Cross-sectional data from the UK Biobank resource, including subjective and behavioural measures of functional hearing and multifactorial measures of depressive episodes and symptoms, were accessed and analysed using multi-regression analyses. Study sample: Over 100 000 community-dwelling, 39–70 year-old volunteers. Results: Irrespective of measurement method, poor functional hearing was significantly (p < 0.001) associated with higher levels of depressive episodes (≤ 0.16 factor scores) and depressive symptoms (≤ 0.30 factor scores) when controlling for age and gender. Associations were stronger for subjective reports, for depressive symptoms, and the younger participants. Females generally reported higher levels of depression. Hearing-aid usage did not show a mitigating effect on the associations. Other physical health problems particularly partially confounded the effects. Conclusion: Data support an association between functional hearing and depression that is stronger in the younger participants (40–49 years old) and for milder depression. The association was not alleviated by hearing-aid usage, but was partially confounded by other physical health problems.     

Brains tern Electric Response Audiometry: Estimation of the Amount of Conductive Hearing Loss with and without Use of the Response Threshold

Three aspects of brainstem response audiometry were investigated in the present study. (1) The brainstem response threshold was compared with the pure-tone audio-gram in 40 patients with conductive hearing loss. The brainstem response threshold has a one-to-one relationship with the mean of the pure-tone thresholds at 2 and 4 kHz. The correlation coefficient in this comparison is 0.84 and the standard error of the estimate is 8.3 dB. Taking into account corresponding results in cochlear hearing loss [Drift et al.: Audiology 26: 1-10, 1987] it is concluded that the brainstem response threshold provides a good estimate of the amount of peripheral hearing loss, independent of the type of hearing loss. (2) It was shown [Drift et al.: Audiology 27: 260-270, 1988] that different types of peripheral hearing loss can be distinguished reliably with brainstem response audiometry. Parameters relevant for this distinction were the horizontal shift of the latency-level curve (1(L) curve), that of its derivative and the response threshold. In the clinical situation measurement of the response threshold is not always possible due to restlessness of the patient. To simulate this situation we randomly truncated the lower parts of the 1(L) curves of quiet patients. The test group consisted of 22 adult normally hearing subjects, 79 patients with cochlear hearing loss, 40 with conductive hearing loss and 22 with mixed hearing loss. Linear discriminant analysis was applied to the horizontal shift of the 1(L) curve and of its derivative. The brainstem diagnosis 'normal hearing' correctly excludes a conductive hearing loss in 98% of the cases and the brainstem diagnosis 'cochlear hearing loss' does so in 79%. The brainstem diagnosis 'conductive hearing loss' correctly predicts a conductive component of hearing loss in 94% of the cases and the brainstem diagnosis 'mixed hearing loss' does so in 90%. The distinction between cochlear hearing loss and normal hearing is not reliable, neither is the distinction between conductive and mixed hearing loss. (3) The amount of the conductive component of hearing loss can be estimated by the horizontal shift of the 1(L) curve. Statistical comparison with the mean of the air-bone gaps at 2 and 4 kHz gave a correlation coefficient of 0.77, a standard error of the estimate of 9.7 dB, and a slope of the regression line of 0.93. An overestimation of about 7 dB has to be taken into account in case of mixed hearing loss.     

Role of ciclosporin in steroid-responsive sudden sensorineural hearing loss

Conclusions. A subgroup of patients with idiopathic sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) will have steroid-dependent symptoms which can be confirmed using pure-tone audiometry. Long-term treatment with high-dose corticosteroids exposes patients to potentially serious adverse effects. Immunosuppression with ciclosporin can be an effective and well-tolerated treatment for steroid-responsive sudden SNHL. Objective. To highlight ciclosporin as a therapeutic option in the treatment of steroid-responsive sudden SNHL. Material and methods. A 39-year-old male with idiopathic sudden SNHL that was responsive to corticosteroids was treated with ciclosporin for 18 months. Results. Steroid-dependent SNHL was confirmed on audiological evaluation. Ciclosporin was administered, allowing corticosteroid therapy to be discontinued. Ciclosporin was effective at controlling all symptoms of SNHL. Remission was confirmed objectively with pure-tone audiometry.     

Sounds perceived as annoying by hearing-aid users in their daily soundscape

Abstract

Background: The noises in modern soundscapes continue to increase and are a major origin for annoyance. For a hearing-impaired person, a hearing aid is often beneficial, but noise and annoying sounds can result in non-use of the hearing aid, temporary or permanently. Objective: The purpose of this study was to identify annoying sounds in a daily soundscape for hearing-aid users. Design: A diary was used to collect data where the participants answered four questions per day about annoying sounds in the daily soundscape over a two-week period. Study sample: Sixty adult hearing-aid users. Results: Of the 60 participants 91% experienced annoying sounds daily when using hearing aids. The annoying sound mentioned by most users, was verbal human sounds, followed by other daily sound sources categorized into 17 groups such as TV/radio, vehicles, and machine tools. When the hearing-aid users were grouped in relation to age, hearing loss, gender, hearing-aid experience, and type of signal processing used in their hearing aids, small and only few significant differences were found when comparing their experience of annoying sounds. Conclusions: The results indicate that hearing-aid users often experience annoying sounds and improved clinical fitting routines may reduce the problem.