According to an American study, adolescents who use cochlear implants self-report quality of life (QoL) scores that are similar to children with normal hearing.

In the study, adolescent cochlear implant users completed a questionnaire about their quality of life. The findings were compared with data from other studies of quality of life among normal hearing adolescents.

The participants

The participants in the study were found through the University of Michigan Cochlear Implant Program database in the US.

The participants were between 10 and 17 years of age, had a severe to profound hearing loss (pure tone average >75 dB HL) prior to the cochlear implantation, used at least one cochlear implant and the cochlear implantation was carried out within the last five years before the study.

The study, “Health related quality of life in adolescent cochlear implant users”, was published in the journal Cochlear Implants International.

Sources: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov and the journal Cochlear Implants International