Prevalência de perda auditiva autorrelatada em idosos do município de Juiz de Fora, MG e fatores associados

Abstract

Hearing Loss (HL), the third most prevalent chronic condition in the elderly, brings functional impairment, as well as spending on public health. There are few studies in Brazil which verify the prevalence of this disease and its associated factors, such as the lack of discussions related to level of education as a predisposing factor for HL in the elderly. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of HL reported in individuals aged 65 years or over, community residents, and participants of a study about frailty in elderly Brazilians - FIBER - JF and investigate possible associated factors. This cross-sectional study is derived from the Multicenter Study on Fragility of the Brazilian Elderly, called "Rede FIBRA". The sample consisted of 427 elderly citizens from Juiz de Fora. Senior citizens with HL who met the following criteria were included as subjects: (1) those who reported not hearing well the question "Do you hear well?", (2) those who answered yes to the question "Do you wear any hearing aid?". From there, we studied the association of HL with socio-demographic, clinical, behavioral and functional variables. Data analysis was made using SPHINX LEXICA & EURECA V. 5, setting the frequency of each variable in the sample surveyed, using the Chisquare test (χ²) method. A prevalence of 24.4% of PA was found. There was a strong association of this disorder with variable age (p<0.05). The average age for those who reported they could not hear well was 77.09 years. The other predisposing variables analyzed did not represent significant factors. HL were associated to only some items of the functional scales, namely driving a car, using the phone, food preparation, use of medication, health care, activity level, feeling full of energy and satisfaction with memory. It can be concluded that the prevalence of HL in this population there were differences with other research findings. The age variable was the main association established. The associations with functional variables suggest that HL may be primarily a factor which causes functional impairment, however, it requires more specific studies to better establish this correlation.