Gender-specific relationships between hearing loss, its rehabilitation, and quality of life in middle-aged and older adults.

Hearing loss (HL) is associated with various functional deficits. This study aimed to evaluate the quality of life (QOL) of patients with HL according to their gender. Participants aged 40 or older from the 8th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2019-2021) with data on otologic evaluations and the Health-Related Quality of Life Instrument with 8 Items (HINT-8) were included. They were classified into the bilateral hearing, unilateral hearing, or disabling HL groups based on moderate HL (> 40 dB) in each ear. Among males, the disabling HL group scored significantly worse in climbing stairs, vitality, working, and depression compared to both the bilateral and unilateral hearing groups (p < 0.05 for all), and reported significantly lower happiness than the bilateral hearing group (p = 0.041). Furthermore, hearing aid users had significantly higher vitality than non-users (p = 0.009). In females, only vitality was significantly worse in the disabling HL group (p = 0.019). Republic of Korea Male patients with disabling HL experienced a greater decline in QOL and hearing aids might be associated with preserving vitality in males. Further research is required to elucidate greater vulnerability to HL in males.