Abstract
SummaryPresbycusis, or the aging ear, involves mainly the inner ear and the cochlear nerve, causing sensorineural hearing loss. Risk factors include systemic diseases and poor habits that cause inner ear damage and lead to presbycusis. Correct identification of these risk factors is relevant for prevention.AimTo evaluate the prevalence and to identify the risk factors of presbycusis in a sample aged over 40 years. Study design: a retrospective case series.Subjects and Methodsmedical records of 625 patients were evaluated. Presbycusis was identified using pure tone audiometry, speech audiometry and impedance testing of all patients.ResultsThe prevalence of presbycusis was 36.1%; the mean age was 50.5 years ranging from 40 to 86 years; 85.5% were male and 14.5% werf female. Age, the male gender, diabetes mellitus, and hereditary hearing loss were identified as risk factors. Cardiovascular diseases, smoking and consumption of alcohol were not confirmed as risk factors, although these have often been mentioned as risk factors for presbycusis.ConclusionNotwithstanding the idea that presbycusis has multiple risk factors, this study identified few risk factors for this disease.
Highlights
Presbycusis refers to age-related hearing loss[1] with no apparent cause
The term elderly or aged refers to persons aged 60 years or above, as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1984.2 The Brazilian Geographical and Statistical Institute (Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística or IBGE) defines a middle social and economical class as that with a mean monthly income of seven to 15 Brazilian minimum salaries.[3]
Our results suggest that a sample of better educated and wealthier subjects - which have more access to information and health services - may control more adequately the risk factors for Presbycusis
Summary
Presbycusis (from the Greek prébys = aged, and ákousis = hearing) refers to age-related hearing loss[1] with no apparent cause. The term elderly or aged refers to persons aged 60 years or above, as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1984.2 The Brazilian Geographical and Statistical Institute (Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística or IBGE) defines a middle social and economical class as that with a mean monthly income of seven to 15 Brazilian minimum salaries.[3]. According to the IBGE, the number of people aged over 60 years went from three million in 1960 to seven million in 1975 and to 14 million in 2002; this is a 500% increase over a 40-year period. There have been few epidemiological studies on the prevalence of presbycusis in Brazil.[5,6]
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