Hearing Impairment in Old Age

[摘要] Impaired hearing is widespread. According to World Health Organization criteria, it is one of the most common health deficits in human beings ( 1 ), with 450 million people affected worldwide ( 2 ). Hearing disorders are most common in old age. Progressive sensorineural hearing loss in old age, usually bilateral, is referred to as presbycusis ( 3 ). About one-third of those affected are aged 65 or over. Among over-60s, more than 20% of those surveyed had trouble with their hearing, and among over-70s the figure was more than 30% ( 4 ). Data on the prevalence of impaired hearing and the use of hearing aids in Europe and in Germany are incomplete, partly because of variations in the definition of what constitutes a significant level of hearing loss ( 5 , 6 ). There are no generally accepted figures. One recent study of certain parts of Germany reports that, in total, 16.2% of all adults are hearing-impaired and 6.5% of all adults use hearing aids ( 7 ). In total, 20 to 30 million adults in Germany are reported to have a hearing impairment ( 6 ). A distinction must be maintained between presbycusis and other diseases leading to hearing loss that can appear at any age including old age; compared to presbycusis, these are responsible for only a small part of all hearing loss in older patients. Age and hearing loss may possibly be indirectly associated in time, but there is no immediate causal connection ( 8 ).

[学科分类] 医学（综合）