Evolution of the age distribution of cochlear implant users in the last 30 years

Introduction The aim of this retrospective study was to observe the evolution in the number of younger and older implanted patients in the last 30 years.

Materials and Methods Patient data was collected anonymously from 1987 to 2019 using medical records and was analyzed statistically. The following factors were investigated: sex, age, unilateral and sequential or simultaneous bilateral implantation.

Results The study included 2138 patients, 47,5% men and 52,5 % women. The median age was 43 years. Since 1996 there is an increase in the number of children who were implanted earlier than 2 years of age and in 2019 represented this group 62% of the implanted children. Similarly, there is an increase in the number of the older (>70y) since 1997. Between 2010 and 2018 approximately 24-32% of the adults were older than 70 years. Moreover, there is an increase in the number of very old (>80y) patients. We also observed an increase of the bilateral implantation in the last 10 years. The percentage of 74,6% for children under 3 years of age is significantly bigger than the 30,6% for older patients. This group of patients is also significantly oftener simultaneously implanted (48,5 vs 9,5 %).

Conclusion The poorer outcomes by delayed implantation by prelingual deafness led to an increase of the early implantation in children. The increase of the elderly ( > 70 years) corresponds to the demographic development and a further increase is possible in the future. An increase of the unilateral implanted patients, who will decide for a bilateral implantation, is expected too.

Publication History

Article published online:
24 May 2022