The impact of hearing aid use on dichotic listening performance of hearing-impaired elderly

Abstract Background Presbycusis can affect the auditory system (peripheral and central portion). A diminished auditory input transfer from the cochlea to the higher auditory centers is the cause of peripheral age-related hearing loss, which impacts older people's perceptual abilities. Decreases in processing at the brainstem and in higher auditory areas leads to central auditory system dysfunction. Objective To evaluate the impact of hearing aids fitting on dichotic listening in a group of older adults with bilateral hearing loss. Methods A case control study comprised 60 participants aged 60 to 80 years old with bilateral mild to moderate sensorineural hearing loss, separated into two equal groups: Group I (hearing aid nonusers) 30 elderly patients without hearing aids, Group II (hearing aid users) included 30 elderly patients who were using their hearing aid for at least 6 months. All participants were submitted for Full history taking, Basic audiological assessment, Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Behavioral Central Auditory test battery (Dichotic Digits test (DDT) version I &II and Synthetic Sentence Identification with Contralateral Competing Message (SSI-CCM) 0, -20, -40). Results Hearing aid users showed a statistically significant better performance in DDT V I, II, and SSI-CCM 0. Conclusions CAP in the elderly varies with age. Ageing adversely affects dichotic listening and speech comprehension in noisy situations. Although older people with hearing loss tend to score lower in these tests, their performance can improve with prompt use, suitable prescriptions, and proper adjustments to hearing aids.