Hearing Impairment and Hearing Aid Usage in the Elderly of Northern Iran’s Rural Areas: A Field Study

Background: Hearing impairment is the most common otolaryngologic manifestation of aging. Objectives: Few studies have focused on Hearing Loss (HL) in the Iranian “normal” elderly population. This study aimed to evaluate audiological problems in the normal elderly people of the rural areas of Rasht City in the north of Iran. Materials & Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2014. The elderly population was selected using the multistage random cluster sampling technique. The study participants were invited for otolaryngologic examination and recording Pure Tone Audiometry (PTA). Results: Of 412 elderly subjects over 65 years (52.8% male, 47.2% female, Mean±SD age: 73.5±6.99 years), 137(33.2%) participants complained of HL, and only 1.2% were hearing aid users. Of the 324 cases that underwent audiological testing, Sensorineural HL (SNHL) was detected in 290(89.5%), conductive HL in 13(4.01%), mixed HL in one(0.3%), and normal hearing in 20(6.17%) cases. SNHL was mild in 173(59.65%), moderate in 90(31.0%), and severe to profound in 27(9.31%) subjects. High-frequency SNHL was observed in 247(76.23%), flat HL in 53(16.35%), and low-frequency HL in 4(1.23%) cases. Clinically, almost 23% (audiologically 40%) of the explored elders presented significant HL needing rehabilitation; however, only one in 19 used hearing aids. The SNHL was more frequent in men than women (53.2% vs. 46.8%; P=0.023). Diabetes mellitus did not significantly correlate with SNHL. Conclusion: This study indicated a high frequency of hearing impairment with minimal ENT consultation and hearing aids among the elderly population in the study area.