Screening for Hearing Impairment among Elderly Subjects Attending Primary Health Care Centers

Aim of Study: To assess the feasibility of screening elderly subjects for possible hearing impairment and to determine its prevalence among elderly population attending primary health care centers in Abha City, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Subjects and Methods: A cross sectional study was carried out on 215 participants attending a Primary Health Care unit in Abha City, KSA, using the Arabic version of the Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly (HHIE-S) questionnaire to determine hearing defect in elderly subjects (aged more than 60 years). Participants responses were scored and totaled for a minimum score of 0 and a maximum score of 40. Results: Prevalence of probable hearing impairment among participants was 23.7%. Prevalence varied significantly according to age groups, (i.e., from 60 to 65 years old 15.2% and from 66 to 70 years old 25.7% and 70 years old 40.5%, p=0.005). The prevalence did not differ significantly according to gender or nationality. Conclusions: Screening for hearing impairment is a feasible and important task that can be routinely applied at the primary health care level for early detection of hearing loss among elderly subjects.