Hearing aids prove effective in first major clinical trial
Embargoed for release until 4 p.m. ET, Tuesday, October 10, 2000
Contact: Dan Bruneau, VA R&D Communications, 410-962-1800, ext. 289, [email protected]
or Lucille Beck, Ph.D., at 202-745-8578
Although they have been in use for decades, three popular types of hearing aids underwent their first rigorous scientific testing in a clinical trial by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD). The results, reported in the Oct. 11 Journal of the American Medical Association, may enable doctors to help millions of Americans deal more effectively with hearing loss.
The report, the first account in the general medical literature of a clinical hearing-aid trial, shows that hearing aids substantially help users in both quiet and noisy situations.
"A lot of people with hearing loss, especially older persons, are told that they have to learn to live with it, that nothing can be done," said study co-author Lucille B. Beck, Ph.D. "Primary-care doctors will benefit from knowing that hearing aids are an effective treatment for many patients, especially those with mild to moderate hearing loss."
Up to 28 million Americans--including about a third of those age 65 or older--have nerve-related hearing loss, which can often be helped by hearing aids. But only about 20 percent of those who can benefit from hearing aids wear them. According to Dr. Beck, one reason is that many primary-care doctors are not informed on the benefits of hearing aids.
"There have been small studies, but this is the first carefully controlled, multicenter clinical trial of hearing aids," said Dr. Beck, national director of Audiology and Speech Pathology Services for VA. Lead author was Vernon D. Larson, Ph.D., formerly with the VA Medical Center in Washington, D.C.
The double-blind study, conducted at eight VA medical centers, enrolled 360 patients with sensorineural, or nerve-related, hearing loss. All patients wore each of the three hearing-aid types for three months. Patients underwent hearing tests in VA audiology labs--in quiet and noisy conditions--and completed surveys about which hearing aid they liked best. Compared to no hearing aid, all three types--accounting for 70 percent of the hearing-aid market--significantly improved speech recognition and reduced verbal-communication problems, such as interference from background noise. Among the three types--actually three different circuitries, each amplifying sound in a different way--there were relatively slight differences in measures such as word recognition and distortion.
According to Gene W. Bratt, Ph.D., study co-author and audiologist at the VA Medical Center in Nashville, the study provides important evidence amid pressure in recent years from federal regulatory agencies on hearing-aid makers.
"The hearing-aid industry has come under scrutiny for making claims about devices providing benefits in noisy as well as quiet situations," Dr. Bratt said. "This study was the first large clinical trial to provide proof."
Among veterans, hearing loss is particularly prevalent, in part due to increased occupational exposure to loud noise on military bases. In fiscal year 1999, 85,000 veterans were fitted for hearing aids at VA medical centers. Due to its expertise in audiology, the VA healthcare system was chosen as a partner in hearing-aid research by NIDCD, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The goal is two-fold: to develop better models of hearing aids, and to gather data, through clinical trials, to guide audiologists in properly fitting patients with hearing aids.
Funding for the study was provided by NIDCD and VA's Cooperative Studies Program.
For additional information, contact:
Dan Bruneau, VA R&D Communications, at 410-962-1800, ext. 289 [email protected] or
Lucille Beck, Ph.D., at 202-745-8578.
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