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Abstract
Objective: According to the United Nations Organization, life expectancy is increasing and this will lead to an increase in the proportion of the world's population aged 60 years or more. By 2050 this group will constitute 21% of the world population. The process of aging is commonly accompanied by hearing loss and cognitive decline. Cochlear implantation in older adults has positive effects on auditory performance, quality of life and cognition. The purpose of the current study was to reveal changes in the ages at which cochlear implantation has been performed over time. Methods: Data of cochlear implantations (n = 758) in Antwerp University Hospital were analysed from 1993 to 2014. Age at implantation ranged from 0 (six months) to 92 years. Patients’ data were split into four categories by age at implantation and the correlation between age at implantation and year of implantation was calculated. The proportion of people implanted over the age of 75 years was calculated over time. Results: No significant correlation between age at implantation and year of implantation (Spearman rho = 0.028, p = 0.449) was found and the proportion of people implanted over the age of 75 years did not change significantly over time. Conclusion: Cochlear implantation in older adults has been investigated in many ways and was found effective for auditory performance, quality of life and cognition. Although the elderly population is growing fast, no significant change was found in the proportion of cochlear implantations in this group over time.
Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.