Presbycusis: do we have a third ear?

Publication date: Available online 29 March 2016
Source:Brazilian Journal of Otorhinolaryngology
Author(s): Luis Reis, Pedro Escada
IntroductionAge-related hearing changes are the most frequent cause of sensorineural hearing loss in adults. In the literature no studies exist concerning the importance of speechreading in individuals with presbycusis and, considering the particularities of each language, that explore this subject in Portuguese speakers from Portugal.ObjectivesTo evaluate if the intelligibility of words in presbycusis is improved by speechreading, in such a way that looking at the interlocutor's face while he is talking functions like a "third ear", and to determine the statistical relevance of the intelligibility improvement by speechreading.MethodsEleven individuals (22 ears) with bilateral and symmetrical sensorineural hearing loss compatible with presbycusis were evaluated, aged between 57 and 82 years, average of 70±11.51 years and median of 69.5 years. A complete medical and audiology workout profile of each patient was done and all patients were submitted to a vocal audiogram, without and with the visualization of the audiologist's face. A descriptive and analytical statistical analysis was performed (Shapiro–Wilk and t pairs tests) adopting the significance level of 0.05 (5%).ResultsWe noticed better performance in intelligibility with speechreading. The p-value was zero (p<0.05), so we rejected the null hypothesis, showing that there was statistically significant difference with speechreading; the same conclusion was obtained by analysis of the confidence intervals.ConclusionsIndividuals with presbycusis in this study, performed better on spoken words intelligibility when the hearing of those words was associated with the speechreading. This phenomenon helps in such a way that suggests the visualization of the interlocutor's face works like a "third ear".



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