Abstract
BackgroundIn evaluating hearing disability in medicolegal work, the apportionment of age- and gender-related sensorineural hearing loss should be considered as a prior factor, especially for the elderly. However, in the literature written in the English language no studies have reported on the age- and gender-related mean hearing threshold for the South Korean population.ObjectiveThis study aimed to identify the mean hearing thresholds in the South Korean population to establish reference data and to identify the age- and gender-related characteristics.MethodsThis study is based on the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) 2010–2012, which was conducted by the Korean government, the data of which was disclosed to the public. A total of 15,606 participants (unweighted) representing 33,011,778 Koreans (weighted) with normal tympanic membrane and no history of regular or occupational noise exposure were selected and analyzed in this study. The relationship between the hearing threshold level and frequency, age, and gender was investigated and analyzed in a highly-screened population by considering the sample weights of a complex survey design.ResultsA gender ratio difference was found between the unweighted and the weighted designs: male:female, 41.0%: 59.0% (unweighted, participants) vs. 47.2%:52.8% (weighted, representing population). As age increased, the hearing threshold increased for all frequencies. Hearing thresholds of 3 kHz, 4 kHz, and 6 kHz showed a statistical difference between both genders for people older than 30, with the 4 kHz frequency showing the largest difference. This paper presents details about the mean hearing threshold based on age and gender.ConclusionsThe data from KNHANES 2010–2012 showed gender differences at hearing thresholds of 3 kHz, 4 kHz, and 6 kHz in a highly-screened population. The most significant gender difference in relation to hearing threshold was observed at 4 kHz. The hearing thresholds at all of the tested frequencies worsened with increasing age. The mean hearing thresholds suggested in this study will be useful for the formulation of healthcare-related hearing policies and used as reference data for disability ratings for hearing loss due to various causes.
Highlights
When court-ordered hearing examination is requested due to car accidents or work-related injuries, the age and gender of the patient are very important when determining the allocation of causation among the multiple factors that caused or significantly contributed to the injury or disease, and the resulting impairment
In the literature written in the English language no studies have reported on the age- and gender-related mean hearing threshold for the South Korean population
This study is based on the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) 2010–2012, which was conducted by the Korean government, the data of which was disclosed to the public
Summary
When court-ordered hearing examination is requested due to car accidents or work-related injuries, the age and gender of the patient are very important when determining the allocation of causation among the multiple factors that caused or significantly contributed to the injury or disease, and the resulting impairment. A few reports have provided reference data for age- and gender-related hearing threshold levels for Koreans, and the studies that did had limitations in that their study population was uncertain [1] or the study sample suffered from selection bias [2]. No study has reported on mean hearing thresholds for the Korean population using a complex survey design to analyze the data. In the literature written in the English language no studies have reported on the age- and gender-related mean hearing threshold for the South Korean population
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