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Background: Communication is an important aspect of everyday life especially for elderly people. Hearing loss can impair the exchange of information and therefore reduces the quality of life. The purpose of this study was to investigate the quality of life in elderly people who are hard of hearing after wearing a hearing aid., Methods: Hearing-impaired old people who referred to the rehabilitation centers of Tehran Welfare Organization for having a hearing aid completed the Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly questionnaire before and three months after using a hearing aid. Scores of the effects of hearing loss on quality of life were compared for each subject and between males and females., Results: The results showed a significant improvement of the quality of life after three months of using a hearing aid in all participants and betterment of their most important problems i.e., the communication and exchange of information., Conclusion: In conclusion, with respect to the beneficial effects of hearing aids in presbycusis and due to the significant improvement in the quality of life, hearing aids are recommended for this group of population.

Background/objective: The status of pelvic supporting organs and possible related factors in a population of Iranian women, 18 - 68 years of age, were studied in primary health care centers., Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 3,730 women were visited in three primary health care centers. The status of their pelvic supporting organs was measured according to the pelvic organ prolapse quantification system. Stages of prolapse were evaluated for trends in terms of various variables, using the Pearson chi2 statistical test. Demographic and obstetric factors were tested for potential confounding variables with logistic regression analysis., Results: The mean age was 36 (range: 18 - 68) years. The overall distribution of pelvic organ prolapse was as follows: stage 0, 47%; stage 1, 23.1%; stage 2, 18.3%; and stage 3, 11.6%. Based on logistic regression analysis, age > or =50 years, menopause, gravidity >3, parity >3, number of vaginal deliveries >3, history of operative delivery, history of vaginal delivery without episiotomy, and home delivery were found to be independent risk factors for development of pelvic organ prolapse., Conclusion: The overall rate of prolapse was 53%, with most subjects having stage 1 or 2. Several factors influence development of pelvic organ prolapse.