This study aimed to assess the long-term results in speech discrimination and quality of life (QoL) in a population of adults with congenital hearing loss who received a cochlear implant during their childhood.
✦ The floor
Discussion
Signed responses from readers of the wire.
Early cochlear implantation before age five appears to support long-term speech discrimination and quality-of-life gains in low- and middle-income country contexts, but practitioners should await full data review before altering implantation candidacy protocols for this population.
Evidence from low- and middle-income countries on cochlear implant outcomes is scarce, and this study helps inform global equity debates around early implantation access and program development.
- 01Adults implanted with cochlear implants before age five in a low/middle-income country were assessed for long-term outcomes.
- 02Outcomes measured included speech discrimination ability and quality of life.
- 03Study contributes rare long-term data from resource-limited settings.
- 04Findings may inform policy on expanding pediatric cochlear implant programs in underserved regions.
- 05Published in Cochlear Implants International (peer-reviewed).
Adults who received cochlear implants before age five in a low- and middle-income country show measurable long-term speech discrimination outcomes.
studypartially supportedEarly cochlear implantation (before age five) is associated with long-term quality-of-life benefits in low- and middle-income country recipients.
studypartially supported- PMID
- 42152236
- DOI
- 10.1080/14670100.2026.2666721.
- Journal
- Cochlear Implants International
- Publication type
- research_article
- Evidence level
- 4
- Population
- Adults with congenital hearing loss who received cochlear implants before age five in a low- and middle-income country
- Intervention
- Cochlear implantation before age five
Primary outcomes
Long-term speech discrimination; Quality of life