Exploring factors related to self-perceived hearing handicap in the elderly with moderate to moderately-severe hearing loss

Objectives: The aims of this study were to compare the performance related to audiometric, cognitive function, and depression variables between the elderly with mild-to-moderate hearing handicap and the elderly with severe hearing handicap, to identify which factors are correlated with their self-perceived hearing handicap, and to determine which factors can distinguish the elderly with mild-to-moderate hearing handicap from the elderly with severe hearing handicap. Methods: A total of 22 elderly patients with moderate to moderately-severe hearing loss participated in this study. The Korean version of the Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly (K-HHIE) was administered to obtain their hearing handicap scores. All patients underwent audiometric, cognitive function, and depression assessments. Results: We found a significant differences in the average hearing threshold, sentence recognition scores in noise, and depression scores between the two groups. The scores of the K-HHIE significantly correlated with the average hearing threshold, sentence recognition scores in noise, and depression scores in all elderly patients with hearing loss. In the logistic regression analysis, sentence recognition scores of +5 dB SNR were a significant factor for differentiating between the two groups. Conclusion: The hearing threshold, speech perception in noise, and depression level are significantly associated with self-perceived hearing handicap in the elderly with moderate to moderately-severe hearing loss. These results indicate that audiometric and depression assessments are need to provide appropriate auditory-habilitation services for cognitively normal elderly with moderate to moderately-severe hearing loss.