Pure-tone air-conduction audiometry has been performed in three groups of children and youngsters aged 10, 14 and 18 years old. The complete frequency range of 0.125 to 20 kHz was measured, and number of different questions were raised. Firstly, the hearing threshold in the conventional frequency range was compared to the international standard ISO 389. Significant differences from ISO zero were found for all groups and at all frequencies of 0.125 to 8 kHz. Secondly, possible noise damage, shown as dips in the audiograms at 3, 4 or 6 kHz was examined; and thirdly, high-frequency (8-20 kHz) sensitivity between groups was compared. Only a few audiograms, the majority being in the youngest age group, were found to be a result of possible noise damage, and in the extra-high-frequency range, a systematic decrease in sensitivity was found for the two older groups compared to the 10-year-old children at frequencies higher than 14 kHz.

Cisplatin is associated with a hearing loss particularly at higher frequencies. Age appear to be an important factor for hearing loss regardless of treatment. The ASHA definition overestimates the hearing problem.

The purpose of this study was to analyse the changes in pure-tone hearing thresholds with age. We studied a random sample of 232 elderly subjects with a battery of audiological tests, including pure-tone audiometry in the conventional and extended high-frequency range, using the normative distributions from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standard 7029 for comparison. Sixty otologically normal (ON) subjects were selected for comparative analysis with the unscreened (US) sample, and for description of gender and age group differences. With the use of a mathematical transformation of threshold data, it was found that the ISO 7029 normative alpha coefficient in females may be set too low compared to our sample in the lower frequencies, leading to an underestimation of hearing thresholds in ON females. In our ON sample, hearing thresholds deteriorated with age in the extended high-frequency audiometric range. No gender threshold differences were found, although the prevalence of unmeasurable responses was higher in males at some of these frequencies. The ON screening criteria in ISO 7029 may be unreliable in subjects over 60 years of age, as threshold differences between ON and US subjects were not consistent at any frequency.

No change in middle ear sound transmission, as assessed by tympanometry, occurs with normal aging. Ear canal volume is smaller in elderly females than elderly males, which is potentially relevant to the study of otoacoustic emissions in the elderly. The estimated prevalence of ear canal-related problems, excluding cerumen obstruction, is of such a magnitude that the introduction of partially implanted hearing aids may be warranted in our elderly population.

Dosing regimens often recommend lower gentamicin doses in neonates (3-5 mg/kg) than in older children (7 mg/kg or more) despite the higher volume of distribution in neonates. We studied an extended-interval high-dose (6 mg/kg) gentamicin regimen in a single tertiary neonatal unit from 2004-2012. During the first week of life, dosing interval was 24 h for term infants, 36 h for preterm infants with gestational age (GA) 29-36 weeks and 48 h for preterm infants with GA <29 weeks. After the first week of life, dosing interval was 24 h if corrected age (GA + postnatal age) ≥29 weeks and 36 h if corrected age <29 weeks. Outcome measures were trough plasma concentration (TPC), ototoxicity and prescription errors. In 546 treatment episodes, TPC was measured prior to the third gentamicin dose. There were 37 episodes (6.7 %) of prescription errors, mainly a too long dosing interval. We included 509 treatment episodes (440 infants) in the final analysis. Mean (standard deviation) gentamicin TPC during the first week of life was 1.1 (0.5) mg/L and after the first week of life 0.8 (0.6) mg/L. In 31 (6 %) episodes, TPC was ≥2.0 mg/L, predominantly among term infants with renal impairment. Thirty-eight patients failed the neonatal hearing screening, but only four of these 38 had permanent hearing loss. All four had a TPC <2.0 mg/L. Conclusions: This extended-interval high-dose gentamicin regimen was associated with low numbers of elevated TPCs, low numbers of prescription errors and no evidence for ototoxicity.