Özet:

Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of hearing aid usage on balance system in individuals older than 60 years of age who use hearing aid due to presbiacusia. Materials and Methods: Individuals (>60 years of age) with at least 25 dB age-related sensorineural hearing loss in both ears and who were given bilateral hearing aid for 3 months were included to our study. The data obtained by evaluating balance system with cVEMP and Romberg on foam test prior to the usage of hearing aid and 3 months after individuals used bilateral hearing aid (without device condition) were compared. Results: While P1-N1 responses were not taken from 21 of the tested ears, they were taken from 39 of the tested ears. Even though remarkable improvement was found in Romberg on foam test done after 3-month usage of hearing aid (p=0.001), no significant change was observed in cVEMP findings (p>0.05) other than the N1 latencies (p=0.03).  Conclusion: With the usage of hearing aid due to presciacusia, an increase is seen in the ability of keeping balance parallel with the increase in auditory inputs. 

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