Affiliations: [a] Department of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, Post-graduation Program in Speech-Language and Hearing Sciences, School of Medicine, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| [b] Department of Internal Medicine, Behavioral and Cognitive Research Group, School of Medicine, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| [c] Department of Clinical and Toxicological Analyses, School of Pharmacy, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
Correspondence:
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Correspondence to: Luciana Macedo de Resende, Av. Alfredo Balena 190 r.249, Postal Code 30130-100, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil. Tel.: +5531988087792; E-mails: lucianamr@ufmg.br, lmacedo.luciana@gmail.com.
Abstract: Background:The assumption that hearing rehabilitation could improve quality of life and reduce dementia risk in people with hearing loss is a subject that needs further studies, especially clinical trials. It is necessary to determine the effects of hearing aid use, as part of hearing rehabilitation, among people diagnosed with dementia. Objective:To systematically review the literature to evaluate the effects of hearing aid use on cognition and quality of life of people with dementia. Methods:Protocol for this systematic review was registered (CRD42023387187). The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Embase, MEDLINE, Scopus, CINAHL, and Web of Science databases, as well as grey literature, including Google Scholar and ResearchGate, were systematically searched for clinical trials using MeSH terms. The PICOS principle was used to develop the inclusion criteria: population (P): adults and older adults, individuals diagnosed with dementia and hearing loss; intervention (I): rehabilitation with hearing aids; control (C): not using a hearing aid; outcome (O): cognitive and/or quality of life assessment using validated tests; study design (S): clinical trial. Results:The initial search yielded 576 studies, five of which met the inclusion criteria for qualitative analyses. Two of the included studies were randomized clinical trials, and three were crossover clinical trials, demonstrating the lack of studies on the subject. Four studies included participants with Alzheimer’s disease. Quality of life was found to improve with the use of hearing aids, and hearing rehabilitation was not shown to affect cognitive outcomes. Conclusions:Hearing aid use appears to have a positive impact on quality of life.
Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease, cognition, dementia, hearing aids, hearing loss, quality of life
