Alexandre Hundertmarck Lessa

Questionnaires and checklists for central auditory processing screening used in Brazil: a systematic review

INTRODUCTIONnThe action of listening involves a complex interaction between the peripheral and central auditory systems. Central auditory processing disorder can be described as any problem in one or more auditory abilities. Literature reports that behavioral questionnaires and checklists can be applied to screen individuals at risk for central auditory processing disorder.nnnOBJECTIVEnTo identify and analyze in the national literature questionnaires and checklists for the screening of central auditory processing available in Brazil for the Portuguese language.nnnMETHODSnThe research was carried out in electronic databases and gray literature. The search strategy was: questionnaires OR surveys and questionnaires AND auditory OR hearing tests OR auditory perception AND Brazil. The research was carried out between June and August of 2017. Study selection followed inclusion and exclusion criteria. The criteria adopted included Brazilian studies, without date and design restriction, that were carried out, translated, adapted and/or validated to Brazilian Portuguese or European Portuguese, as tools for central auditory processing screening. International studies that were not adapted to the Portuguese language were excluded, as well as the ones that were not available in full.nnnRESULTSnA total of 3664 publications were found and seven articles were selected for this systematic review, according to the established criteria.nnnCONCLUSIONSnThere is scarce national literature for central auditory processing screening and the only tool validated to Brazilian Portuguese, published as a monograph, is the auditory processing domains questionnaire. It is suggested that new studies with greater methodological stringency related to the processes of tool adaptation and validation be developed and published in the usual scientific databases, aiming at greater diffusion and clinical applicability.

Triagem auditiva e percepção da restrição de participação social em idosos

Introduction: Portable equipment can now perform screenings that identify possible hearing loss, allowing a greater number of people to be evaluated. Self-assessment questionnaires may also provide an overview of the elderly’s perception of their problem. Purpose: To examine if the hearing-screening results in the elderly are related to their perceived restriction in social participation, and whether they are influenced by age, gender and schooling. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out with elderly people of two cohabitation centers. Medical history and participant details were collected, including name, age, and schooling data. Visual inspection of the external auditory meatus and hearing screening using portable equipment were then performed. The Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly – Screening Version (HHIE-S) questionnaire was then administered in the form of an interview. The HHIE-S consists of ten questions divided into two scales—social and emotional each composed of five questions. The data were then statistically analyzed. Results: Sixty-four elderly people, comprising men and women, with a mean age of 70 years and 8 months, were evaluated. Of these, 48 (75%) were classified as without perceived restriction, 12 (18.75%) with mild to moderate perceived restriction, and four (6.25%) with significant perceived restriction, according to the questionnaire criteria. The screening and questionnaire results were not influenced by gender and schooling. Age did not influence the questionnaire score, but was associated with the hearing-screening outcome. There was a relationship between hearing screening and scores on the questionnaire. Conclusion: Elderly patients who “failed” the hearing screening had higher scores in the questionnaire and older adults had worse hearing-screening results.

Influência da cognição em habilidades auditivas de idosos pré e pós-adaptação de próteses auditivas

Purpose To determine if auditory skills test results correlated with cognitive performance and evaluate their influence on hearing aid fittings in the elderly population. Methods This study was carried out with 12 hearing-impaired individuals over 60 years of age. They were cognitively assessed with the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer’s Disease (CERAD) battery assessment. The instruments used to evaluate resolution and temporal ordering, as well as separation and binaural integration, were the Random Gap Detection Test, Duration Pattern Sequence and Pitch Pattern Sequence, and Dichotic Digits Tests. Their auditory abilities were evaluated before and three months after the hearing aid fittings. The data were statistically correlated to the data obtained from the cognitive assessments. Results Ordering and temporal resolution were related to some cognitive assessments. The difference in some auditory abilities performance of temporal ordering and temporal resolution after the acclimatization period was inversely related to some cognitive assessments. Conclusion In the elderly the better the performance on the auditory temporal skills, the better the cognitive test results. However, when analyzing the difference in performance between the auditory abilities before and after the hearing aid fittings, the patients with the worst cognitive performance showed the most improvement. This demonstrates that there is a possibility of neural plasticity stimulation, even in those with cognitive impairment.