Imagawa Norie, Motegi Masaomi, Kondo Yuiko, Shimazaki Takashi, Yamauchi Takashi, Suka Machi
Department of Health and Welfare, Prefectural University of Hiroshima, Hiroshima, JPN.
Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma, JPN.
Cureus. 2024 Aug 2;16(8):e66042. doi: 10.7759/cureus.66042. eCollection 2024 Aug.
Background This study aimed to evaluate the quality of life (QOL) of older adults using cochlear implants (CIs) by focusing on how individual characteristics and speech perception are related to generic QOL ratings and utilizing the Health Utilities Index Mark III (HUI3) for assessment. Methodology A cross-sectional study was conducted with 19 participants aged ≥60 years, who were within one to five years post-implant activation. Data were obtained through self-administered questionnaires, including the HUI3 for generic QOL assessment and disease-specific indexes. Speech perception tests and chart reviews provided personal characteristic data. Statistical analysis was performed using the Mann-Whitney U-test, one-way analysis of variance, and Pearson's correlation coefficient. Results In total, 18 patients responded to the study. This study revealed that the generic QOL in older adult CI users was lower than that in the general older adult population. There was no significant association between QOL and variables such as sex, duration of implant usage, or age. However, a longer duration of hearing loss before receiving an implant was associated with higher generic QOL scores. Additionally, a strong correlation was observed between the hearing-related QOL score and utility scores. Conclusions Longer pre-implantation hearing loss correlated with better post-implantation QOL. Additionally, a reduced QOL, specifically within the hearing attribute, a subdomain of the HUI3, was associated with a lower overall generic QOL. The results suggest that generic QOL cannot be evaluated based on hearing ability alone and that cochlear implantation does not completely improve generic QOL. This study represents an important first step in understanding the QOL of older adult CI users from a variety of backgrounds.
背景 本研究旨在通过关注个体特征和言语感知如何与一般生活质量评分相关，并利用健康效用指数Mark III（HUI3）进行评估，来评价使用人工耳蜗（CI）的老年人的生活质量（QOL）。方法 对19名年龄≥60岁、植入激活后1至5年的参与者进行了一项横断面研究。通过自填问卷获取数据，包括用于一般生活质量评估的HUI3和疾病特异性指标。言语感知测试和病历审查提供了个人特征数据。使用曼-惠特尼U检验、单因素方差分析和皮尔逊相关系数进行统计分析。结果 共有18名患者对研究做出了回应。本研究表明，老年人工耳蜗使用者的一般生活质量低于一般老年人群。生活质量与性别、植入使用时间或年龄等变量之间无显著关联。然而，植入前听力损失时间较长与较高的一般生活质量得分相关。此外，观察到听力相关生活质量得分与效用得分之间存在强相关性。结论 植入前听力损失时间较长与植入后较好的生活质量相关。此外，生活质量降低，特别是在HUI3的一个子领域听力属性方面，与较低的总体一般生活质量相关。结果表明，不能仅根据听力能力来评估一般生活质量，人工耳蜗植入并不能完全改善一般生活质量。本研究是了解来自各种背景的老年人工耳蜗使用者生活质量的重要第一步。
