Online ISSN: 2515-8260

ASSESSING THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS AFTER COCHLEAR IMPLANTS COMPARED TO CONTROLS WITH NORMAL HEARING PATTERN

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Dr. Kundirthi Chaitanya Babjee1, Dr. Akhil Sareen2, Dr. Thalva Charitha3, Dr. Vinod Kumar4

Abstract

Background: Emotional and social challenges are higher in children with hearing loss especially during their transition from childhood to adolescence phase. Before the cochlear implant placement became a routine and widely accepted management modality for treating hearing loss in children, the children felt more psychosocial issues. Aims: The present trial was conducted to assess if children with cochlear implants secondary to hearing loss have similar psychosocial challenges as their peers having normal hearing patterns by assessing the responses given by children or their parents concerning the child's health-related quality of life. Materials and Methods: 62 subjects were divided into two categories of 8-11 years old and 12-16 years (n=31). Independent assessment of children and their parents was done. The comparison was done of children's responses with their parent's responses, and with responses of the control children with the normal hearing pattern. The quality of life was evaluated using the KINDLR survey designed especially for children. The collected data were subjected to statistical evaluation and the results were formulated.

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