Document Detail


Self-Reported Hearing Problems among Older Adults: Prevalence and Comparison to Measured Hearing Impairment.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  22031679     Owner:  NLM     Status:  In-Data-Review    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
Background: There are not many population-based epidemiological studies on the association between self-reported hearing problems and measured hearing thresholds in older adults. Previous studies have shown that the relationship between self-reported hearing difficulties and measured hearing thresholds is unclear and, according to our knowledge, there are no previous population-based studies reporting hearing thresholds among subjects with hyperacusis. Purpose: The aim was to investigate the prevalence of self-reported hearing problems, that is, hearing difficulties, difficulties in following a conversation in noise, tinnitus, and hyperacusis, and to compare the results with measured hearing thresholds in older adults. Research Design: Cross-sectional, population-based, and unscreened. Study Sample: Random sample of subjects (n = 850) aged 54-66 yr living in the city of Oulu (Finland) and the surrounding areas. Data Collection and Analysis: Otological examination, pure tone audiometry, questionnaire survey Results: The prevalence of self-reported hearing problems was 37.1% for hearing difficulties, 43.3% for difficulties in following a conversation in noise, 29.2% for tinnitus, and 17.2% for hyperacusis. More than half of the subjects had no hearing impairment, or HI (BEHL[better ear hearing level]0.5-4 kHz < 20 dB HL) even though they reported hearing problems. Subjects with self-reported hearing problems, including tinnitus and hyperacusis, had significantly poorer hearing thresholds than those who did not report hearing problems. Self-reported hearing difficulties predicted hearing impairment in the pure-tone average at 4, 6, and 8 kHz, and at the single frequency of 4 kHz. Conclusions: The results indicate that self-reported hearing difficulties are more frequent than hearing impairment defined by audiometric measurement. Furthermore, self-reported hearing difficulties seem to predict hearing impairment at high frequencies (4-8 kHz) rather than at the frequencies of 0.5-4 kHz, which are commonly used to define the degree of hearing impairment in medical and legal issues.
Authors:
Samuli Hannula; Risto Bloigu; Kari Majamaa; Martti Sorri; Elina Mäki-Torkko
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Publication Detail:
Type:  Journal Article    
Journal Detail:
Title:  Journal of the American Academy of Audiology     Volume:  22     ISSN:  1050-0545     ISO Abbreviation:  J Am Acad Audiol     Publication Date:  2011 Sep 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2011-10-27     Completed Date:  -     Revised Date:  -    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  9114646     Medline TA:  J Am Acad Audiol     Country:  Canada    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  550-9     Citation Subset:  IM    
Copyright Information:
American Academy of Audiology.
Affiliation:
Department of Clinical Medicine, Otorhinolaryngology, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.
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