Age- and gender-specific reference ranges for hearing level and longitudinal changes in hearing level

Abstract

This paper presents age-specific reference ranges for hearing level and change in hearing level for men and women at 500, 1000, 2000, and 4000 Hz. The percentiles are constructed from data obtained from persons in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging who were rigorously screened for otological disorders and evidence of noise-induced hearing loss. The resulting percentile curves represent norms for changes in hearing level in the absence of any known otologic disease. These percentile curves provide a reference for detecting when a person deviates from a normal pattern of change, thus helping in diagnosing problems with hearing or in monitoring hearing in occupational settings. The smoothed means and standard deviations of the hearing levels were used to construct the longitudinal percentiles. The percentiles for cross-sectional change were constructed using the skew normal distribution to allow for the percentiles to be asymmetric on either side of the median level. These percentiles are the first reference curves that (1) provide standards for hearing level changes over periods of up to 15 years, (2) account for age differences in the distribution of hearing levels, and (3) are based on data from persons who have been systematically screened for otological disorders and evidence of noise-induced hearing loss.

The Stickler syndrome: Genotype/phenotype correlation in 10 families with Stickler syndrome resulting from seven mutations in the type II collagen gene locus COL2A1

“…47 HFSNHL was defined as a threshold greater than or equal to 20 dB at any frequency from 4 to 8 kHz for age Ͻ20 years, a threshold greater than or equal to 30 dB at any frequency from 4 to 8 kHz for age 20 -30 years, and a threshold greater than or equal to 40 dB at any frequency from 4 to 8 kHz for age Ͼ40 years.…”

Changes in Hearing Thresholds over 10 Years in Older Adults

“…Although there are a number of studies documenting the prevalence and degree of hearing loss with advancing age (Moscicki et al, 1985;Gates et al, 1990;Cruickshanks et al, 1998), there are considerably fewer studies that have documented the progression of age-related hearing loss. Further, many of the earlier studies on the progression of hearing loss with advancing age were restricted to selected age groups (e.g., Eisdorfer and Wilkie, 1972;Moller, 1981;Rahko et al, 1985;Ostri et al, 1986;Pedersen et al, 1989;Ostri and Parving, 1991) and typically were based on relatively small samples, particularly for older age groups (e.g., Eisdorfer and Wilkie, 1972;Milne, 1977;Keay and Murray, 1988;Davis et al, 1991 The three largest contemporary studies of hearing loss progression in older adults were conducted within the Epidemiology of Hearing Loss Study (Cruickshanks et al, 2003), the Framingham Heart Study (Gates et al, 1990;Gates and Cooper, 1991), and the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA [Brant and Fozard, 1990;Pearson et al, 1995;Morrell et al, 1996]). Cruickshanks and colleagues (2003) documented the incidence and progression of hearing loss in a large population of older adults.…”

“…The three largest contemporary studies of hearing loss progression in older adults were conducted within the Epidemiology of Hearing Loss Study (Cruickshanks et al, 2003), the Framingham Heart Study (Gates et al, 1990;Gates and Cooper, 1991), and the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA [Brant and Fozard, 1990;Pearson et al, 1995;Morrell et al, 1996]). Cruickshanks and colleagues (2003) documented the incidence and progression of hearing loss in a large population of older adults.…”

The speech audiometry test with the verbal tasks and motor responses

“…Успешное понимание речи зависит от возможности испытуемого эффективно обрабатывать сложный акусти-ческий сигнал. С возрастом эти способности часто снижа-ются вследствие ухудшения слуха, нарастания разобще-ний в нервных путях, соединяющих ухо как сенсорный орган со слуховой корой головного мозга [20,21]. Неуди-вительно, что эти препятствия к акустическому анализу ухудшают понимание речи пожилыми людьми.…”