Health-related quality of life in adults with profound postlingual hearing loss before and after cochlear implantation

PURPOSE: In clinical trials and everyday medical practice, health-related quality of life (HRQoL) measures are increasingly being used. That is, in addition to the usual biological health assessment, the impact of disease and treatment on the patient’s functioning in the physical, mental, and social areas is an important parameter. The aim of this study was to assess HRQoL before and after using a cochlear implant (CI) in adults with profound hearing loss. METHODS: There were 104 patients who qualified for the study. All gave informed and free consent. The study involved adults with bilateral hearing loss above 81 dB HL and rated according to the World Health Organization (WHO) classification scheme as having profound hearing loss (which includes deafness). In each participant, the hearing loss was postlingual, that is, it occurred after speech and language had developed. The assessment of quality of life (AQoL-8D) questionnaire was used to assess the health-related quality of life in the study participants. RESULTS: Quality of life significantly increased (p < 0.001) after cochlear implantation in almost all domains (except the pain dimension). The mean increase in overall quality of life was 0.16, the greatest improvement was found in the dimensions senses (mean change of 0.17) and self-worth (mean change of 0.16). CONCLUSION: Cochlear implantation improves the health-related quality of life of the postlingually deaf.