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Journal of Personalized Medicine Nov 2023Profound sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) can be successfully treated with a cochlear implant (CI), and treatment is usually accompanied by increased quality of life... (Review)
Review
Profound sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) can be successfully treated with a cochlear implant (CI), and treatment is usually accompanied by increased quality of life (QoL). Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate generic and health-related QoL, as well as the level of audiological outcomes, of CI users, in addition to whether Qol can be restored to the extent of those with normal hearing. Furthermore, different implantation timepoints were compared (early vs. late), and a possible correlation between health and generic QoL questionnaires was investigated. The outcomes from 93 pediatric CI users from Romania were analyzed in the study. Two QoL questionnaires (SSQ12, AQoL-6D), as well as the HSM sentence test and Soundfield measurements, were assessed. The outcomes revealed that the CI users were able to achieve the same QoL as their age- and-gender matched peers with normal hearing, and hearing was restored with good speech comprehension. No significant difference between early- and late-implanted children was detected, although a tendency of a better Word Recognition Score (+10%) in the early-implanted group was discovered. A moderate and significant correlation between the generic and health-related Qol questionnaire was observed. Audiological examinations are still the standard practice by which to measure the benefit of any hearing intervention; nonetheless, generic and health-related QoL should be assessed in order to provide a full picture of a successful and patient-satisfactory cochlear implant procedure.
PubMed: 38003925
DOI: 10.3390/jpm13111610 -
Journal of Audiology & Otology Jan 2022Although the digit-in-noise (DIN) test is simple and quick, little is known about its key factors. This study explored the considerable components of the DIN test...
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
Although the digit-in-noise (DIN) test is simple and quick, little is known about its key factors. This study explored the considerable components of the DIN test through a systematic review and meta-analysis.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
After six electronic journal databases were screened, 14 studies were selected. For the meta-analysis, standardized mean difference was used to calculate effect sizes and 95% confidence intervals.
RESULTS
The overall result of the meta-analysis showed an effect size of 2.224. In a subgroup analysis, the patient's hearing status was found to have the highest effect size, meaning that the DIN test was significantly sensitive to screen for hearing loss. In terms of the length of the presenting digits, triple digits had lower speech recognition thresholds (SRTs) than single or pairs of digits. Among the types of background noise, speech-spectrum noise provided lower SRTs than multi-talker babbling. Regarding language variance, the DIN test showed better performance in the patient's native language(s) than in other languages.
CONCLUSIONS
When uniformly developed and well validated, the DIN test can be a universal tool for hearing screening.
PubMed: 34775699
DOI: 10.7874/jao.2021.00416 -
Brazilian Journal of Otorhinolaryngology 2005Despite its high prevalence in the aged, hearing loss has been poorly investigated. Audiometry is the gold standard for evaluation of hearing loss, but large-scale use... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study Meta-Analysis Review
UNLABELLED
Despite its high prevalence in the aged, hearing loss has been poorly investigated. Audiometry is the gold standard for evaluation of hearing loss, but large-scale use of the procedure involves operational difficulties. Thus, self-report may be an alternative.
AIM
To determine if a single global question is valid for use in epidemiologic research.
STUDY DESIGN
Systematic review.
MATERIAL AND METHOD
A search of the medical literature from 1990 to 2004 was performed using MEDLINE and LILACS. The references of the articles identified in the electronic search were also reviewed.
STUDY SELECTION AND DATA EXTRACTION
The articles that compared the results obtained with self-report to a single global question with those obtained by pure tone audiometry were selected. Data about the prevalence of hearing loss, and sensitivity, specificity and predictive values were extracted.
DATA SYNTHESIS
Ten longitudinal studies were included. A single global question seems to be an acceptable indicator of hearing loss, sensitive and reasonably specific, mainly if the hearing loss is identified as the tone average that includes frequencies up to 2 or 4 kHz, at 40 dBHL level, in the best ear.
CONCLUSION
A single global question shows good performance in identifying older persons with hearing loss and can be recommended for an epidemiologic study if audiometric measurements cannot be performed.
Topics: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Audiometry, Pure-Tone; Female; Hearing Loss; Humans; Male; Mass Screening; Middle Aged; Prevalence; Surveys and Questionnaires
PubMed: 16446917
DOI: 10.1016/s1808-8694(15)31310-0 -
Laryngoscope Investigative... Aug 2023This systematic review aims to establish the expected hearing and speech outcomes following cochlear implantation (CI) in patients with profound congenital deafness... (Review)
Review
OBJECTIVE
This systematic review aims to establish the expected hearing and speech outcomes following cochlear implantation (CI) in patients with profound congenital deafness secondary to Waardenburg syndrome (WS).
METHODS
A systematic review of the literature and narrative synthesis was performed in accordance with the PRISMA statement. Databases searched: Medline, Pubmed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Collection, and ClinicalTrials.gov. No limits were placed on language or year of publication.
RESULTS
Searches identified 186 abstracts and full texts. Of these, 16 studies met inclusion criteria reporting outcomes in 179 patients and at least 194 implants. Hearing outcomes of those receiving cochlear implantation were generally good. Five studies included genetic analysis of one or more of the participants. A total of 11 peri/post-operative complications were reported. The methodological quality of included studies was modest, mainly comprising noncontrolled case series with small cohort size. All studies were OCEBM grade III-IV.
CONCLUSION
Cochlear implantation in congenitally deafened children with Waardenburg Syndrome is a well-established intervention as a method of auditory rehabilitation. Due to the uncommon nature of the condition, there is a lack of large-scale high-quality studies examining the use of cochlear implantation in this patient group. However, overall outcomes following implantation are positive with the majority of patients demonstrating improved audiometry, speech perception and speech intelligibility supporting its use in appropriately selected cases.
PubMed: 37621295
DOI: 10.1002/lio2.1110 -
International Journal of Environmental... Sep 2017: Hearing loss is defined as worsening of hearing acuity and is usually expressed as an increase in the hearing threshold. Tinnitus, defined as "ringing in the ear", is... (Review)
Review
: Hearing loss is defined as worsening of hearing acuity and is usually expressed as an increase in the hearing threshold. Tinnitus, defined as "ringing in the ear", is a common and often disturbing accompaniment of hearing loss. Hearing loss and environmental exposures to noise are increasingly recognized health problems. : The objective was to assess whether the exposure-response relationship can be established between exposures to non-occupational noise and permanent hearing outcomes such as permanent hearing loss and tinnitus. : Computer searches of all accessible medical and other databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus) were performed and complemented with manual searches. The search was not limited to a particular time span, except for the effects of personal listening devices (PLDs). The latter was limited to the years 2008-June 2015, since previous knowledge was summarized by SCENIHR descriptive systematic review published in 2008. The inclusion criteria were as follows: the exposure to noise was measured in sound pressure levels (SPLs) and expressed in individual equivalent decibel values (L), the studies included both exposed and reference groups, the outcome was a permanent health effect, i.e., permanent hearing loss assessed with pure-tone audiometry and/or permanent tinnitus assessed with a questionnaire. The eligibility criteria were evaluated by two independent reviewers. The risk of bias was assessed for all of the papers using a template for assessment of quality and the risk of bias. The GRADE (grading of recommendations assessment, development, and evaluation) approach was used to assess the overall quality of evidence. Meta-analysis was not possible due to methodological heterogeneity of included studies and the inadequacy of data. Out of 220 references identified, five studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria. All of them were related to the use of PLDs and comprised in total of 1551 teenagers and young adults. Three studies used hearing loss as the outcome and three tinnitus. There was a positive correlation between noise level and hearing loss either at standard or extended high frequencies in all three of the studies on hearing loss. In one study, there was also a positive correlation between the duration of PLD use and hearing loss. There was no association between prolonged listening to loud music through PLDs and tinnitus or the results were contradictory. All of the evidence was of low quality. The studies are cross-sectional. No study provides odds ratios of hearing loss by the level of exposure to noise. While using very strict inclusion criteria, there is low quality GRADE evidence that prolonged listening to loud music through PLDs increases the risk of hearing loss and results in worsening standard frequency audiometric thresholds. However, specific threshold analyses focused on stratifying risk according to clearly defined levels of exposure are missing. Future studies are needed to provide actionable guidance for PLDs users. No studies fulfilling the inclusion criteria related to other isolated or combined exposures to environmental noise were identified.
Topics: Hearing Loss, Noise-Induced; Humans; Noise; Tinnitus; World Health Organization
PubMed: 28953238
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph14101139 -
Frontiers in Psychology 2021An association between age-related hearing loss (ARHL) and Alzheimer's Disease (AD) has been widely reported. However, the nature of this relationship remains poorly...
An association between age-related hearing loss (ARHL) and Alzheimer's Disease (AD) has been widely reported. However, the nature of this relationship remains poorly understood. Quantification of hearing loss as it relates to AD is imperative for the creation of reliable, hearing-related biomarkers for earlier diagnosis and development of ARHL treatments that may slow the progression of AD. Previous studies that have measured the association between peripheral hearing function and AD have yielded mixed results. Most of these studies have been small and underpowered to reveal an association. Therefore, in the current report, we sought to estimate the degree to which AD patients have impaired hearing by performing a meta-analysis to increase statistical power. We reviewed 248 published studies that quantified peripheral hearing function using pure-tone audiometry for subjects with AD. Six studies, with a combined total of 171 subjects with AD compared to 222 age-matched controls, met inclusion criteria. We found a statistically significant increase in hearing threshold as measured by pure tone audiometry for subjects with AD compared to controls. For a three-frequency pure tone average calculated for air conduction thresholds at 500-1,000-2,000 Hz (0.5-2 kHz PTA), an increase of 2.3 decibel hearing level (dB HL) was found in subjects with AD compared to controls ( = 0.001). Likewise, for a four-frequency pure tone average calculated at 500-1,000-2,000-4,000 (0.5-4 kHz PTA), an increase of 4.5 dB HL was measured ( = 0.002), and this increase was significantly greater than that seen for 0.5-2 kHz PTA. There was no difference in the average age of the control and AD subjects. These data confirm the presence of poorer hearing ability in AD subjects, provided a quantitative estimate of the magnitude of hearing loss, and suggest that the magnitude of the effect is greater at higher sound frequencies. https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, identifier: CRD42021288280.
PubMed: 35153910
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.788045 -
Acta Otorhinolaryngologica Italica :... Aug 2018The aim of this study is to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies in which hearing outcomes after primary stapes surgery have been... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study Meta-Analysis
The aim of this study is to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies in which hearing outcomes after primary stapes surgery have been reported. After the surgical procedure, the effectiveness of stapes surgery using nickel titanium (Nitinol) or other prostheses were systematically compared and evaluated using a meta-analytic method. A systematic search for articles before January 2017 in Embase, Medline and Cochrane Library databases was conducted. Only articles in English were included. Inclusion criteria for qualitative synthesis consisted of a population of otosclerosis patients, intervention with primary stapes surgery using the Nitinol heat-crimping prosthesis compared with other type of stapes stapedotomy prostheses, and hearing outcome. Inclusion criteria for quantitative analysis consisted of application of audiometry guidelines of the American Academy of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery Committee on Hearing and Equilibrium for evaluation of conductive hearing loss. A postoperative air-bone gap (ABG) ≤ 10 dB was considered effective. A bias assessment tool was developed according to Cochrane guidelines. To evaluate the mean age of the samples we used the chi-square test. Of the 4926 papers identified through the electronic database search (3695 in Pubmed/Cochrane and 1231 in Embase), 540 studies matched the selection criteria (436 in Pubmed/Cochrane and 104 in Embase) after application of filters and elimination of duplicate articles. After analysis of the title and abstract, 459 were excluded (396 in Pubmed/Cochrane and 63 in Embase). Of the remaining 81 papers, 74 were excluded according to the study selection criteria. A total of seven eligible studies with 1385 subjects, consisting of 637 in the Nitinol group and 748 in the non-Nitinol group, were included in our study. There were statistically significant differences in the effectiveness of stapes surgery between the Nitinol and non-Nitinol prostheses; the data showed a combined odds ratio (OR) of 2.56 (95% CI 1.38-4.76, p = 0.003). There were no statistically significant differences in the mean pre-operative age between Nitinol and non-Nitinol prostheses (p = 0.931). Our results suggest that the effectiveness of Nitinol was higher than non-Nitinol prostheses, with superiority of the number of patients with ABG ≤ 10 dB.
Topics: Alloys; Humans; Observational Studies as Topic; Ossicular Prosthesis; Otosclerosis; Prosthesis Design; Stapes Surgery
PubMed: 30197420
DOI: 10.14639/0392-100X-1950 -
Journal of Clinical Medicine Dec 2020Congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection induces a clinical syndrome usually associated with hearing loss. However, the effect of acquired CVM infection in adults and... (Review)
Review
Congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection induces a clinical syndrome usually associated with hearing loss. However, the effect of acquired CVM infection in adults and children has not been clearly defined. The objective of this review is to critically appraise scientific evidence regarding the association of acquired CMV infection with postnatal hearing loss or tinnitus. A systematic review of records reporting sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) or tinnitus and acquired CMV infection including articles published in English was performed. Search strategy was limited to human studies with acquired CMV infection. After screening and quality assessment, nine studies involving 1528 individuals fulfilled the inclusion criteria. A total of 14% of patients with SNHL showed evidence of previous exposure to CMV, while in individuals without SNHL (controls) the percentage rose up to 19.3%. SNHL was reported as unilateral or bilateral in 15.3%, and not specified in 84.7% of cases. The degree of SNHL ranged from mild to profound for both children and adults. None of the records reported tinnitus. The prevalence of children or adults with acquired SNHL with a confirmed acquired CMV infection by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) or IgM anti-CMV antibodies is low. Phenotyping of patients with acquired CMV infection was limited to hearing loss by pure tone audiometry and no additional audiological testing was performed in most of the studies. Additional symptoms deserve more attention, including episodic vertigo or tinnitus, since some patients with the clinical spectrum of Meniere Disease could result from a CMV latent infection.
PubMed: 33322509
DOI: 10.3390/jcm9124011 -
Acta Otorrinolaringologica Espanola 2011Idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss is an unexplained unilateral hearing loss with onset over a period of less than 72 hours, without other known otological...
Idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss is an unexplained unilateral hearing loss with onset over a period of less than 72 hours, without other known otological diseases. We present a consensus on the diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of this disease, designed by AMORL, after a systematic review of the literature from 1966 to June 2010. Diagnosis of sudden sensorineural hearing loss is based on mandatory otoscopy, acoumetry, tonal audiometry, speech audiometry, and tympanometry. After clinical diagnosis is settled, and before treatment is started, a full analysis should be done and an MRI should be requested later. Treatment is based on systemic corticosteroids (orally in most cases), helped by intratympanic doses as rescue after treatment failures. Follow-up should be done at day 7, with tonal and speech audiometries, and regularly at 15, 30, and 90 days after start of therapy, and after 12 months. By consensus, results after treatment should be reported as absolute dBs recovered in pure tonal audiometry, as improvement in the recovery rate in unilateral cases, and as improvement in speech audiometry.
Topics: Adrenal Cortex Hormones; Adult; Antiviral Agents; Autoimmune Diseases of the Nervous System; Child; Diagnostic Imaging; Diagnostic Techniques, Otological; Ear, Inner; Follow-Up Studies; Hearing Loss, Bilateral; Hearing Loss, Sudden; Humans; Meta-Analysis as Topic; Microcirculation; Prognosis; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Vasodilator Agents; Virus Diseases
PubMed: 21112580
DOI: 10.1016/j.otorri.2010.09.001 -
Laryngoscope Investigative... Apr 2017To review evidence of hearing loss as a risk factor for dementia. : PubMed : A systematic review was conducted using the PubMed database using the search terms (hearing... (Review)
Review
OBJECTIVES
To review evidence of hearing loss as a risk factor for dementia. : PubMed : A systematic review was conducted using the PubMed database using the search terms (hearing loss OR presbycusis) AND (dementia OR cognitive decline). Initially, 488 articles were obtained. Only those studies evaluating an association between hearing loss and incident dementia or cognitive decline were included in the analysis. This resulted in 17 articles which were thoroughly evaluated with consideration for study design, method for determining hearing loss and cognitive status, relevant covariates and confounding factors, and key findings.
RESULTS
All of the 17 articles meeting inclusion criteria indicate that hearing loss is associated with dementia or cognitive decline. The methods used among the studies for ascertaining hearing loss and dementia were notably varied. For hearing loss, peripheral auditory function was tested far more than central auditory function. For peripheral audition, pure tone audiometry was the most commonly reported method for defining hearing loss. Only a few studies measured central auditory function by using the Synthetic Sentence Identification with Ipsilateral Competing Message test (SSI-ICM) and the Staggered Spondaic Word Test (SSW). Dementia was most often defined using the Mini Mental State Exam (MMSE). However, many studies used extensive batteries of tests to define cognitive status, often including a neuropsychologist. Confounding variables such as cardiovascular risk factors were measured in 17 studies and family history of dementia was only evaluated in 1 study. Overall, the methods used by studies to ascertain hearing loss, cognitive status and other variables are valid, making their evaluation appear reliable.
CONCLUSION
While each of the studies included in this study utilized slightly different methods for evaluating participants, each of them demonstrated that hearing loss is associated with higher incidence of dementia in older adults.
LEVEL OF EVIDENCE
Level V, systematic review.
PubMed: 28894825
DOI: 10.1002/lio2.65