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79th Annual Meeting of the German Society of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, Head and Neck Surgery

German Society of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, Head and Neck Surgery

30.04. - 04.05.2008, Bonn

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Assessment of hearing in the elderly: early hearing aging

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  • corresponding author Petar Rouev - Uni-HNO-Klinik Stara Zagora, Stara Zagora, Bulgaria
  • Rumiana Mihailova - District Hospital, Sliven, Bulgaria
  • Polina Nencheva - University Hospital, Stara Zagora, Bulgaria
  • Jordan Kotov - District Hospital, Sliven, Bulgaria

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Hals-Nasen-Ohren-Heilkunde, Kopf- und Hals-Chirurgie. 79. Jahresversammlung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Hals-Nasen-Ohren-Heilkunde, Kopf- und Hals-Chirurgie. Bonn, 30.04.-04.05.2008. Düsseldorf: German Medical Science GMS Publishing House; 2008. Doc08hnod037

The electronic version of this article is the complete one and can be found online at: http://www.egms.de/en/meetings/hnod2008/08hnod037.shtml

Published: April 22, 2008

© 2008 Rouev et al.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/deed.en). You are free: to Share – to copy, distribute and transmit the work, provided the original author and source are credited.

Outline

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Introduction: Hearing loss is one of the most common chronic health conditions in the elderly population with important implications for patient quality of life. Despite the prevalence and burden of hearing loss, hearing impairment is largely underdiagnosed in older persons and undertreated. The reason for this is that one of the most conspicuous signs of a hearing loss is that it cannot be seen. The main question is who and when to screen for age-related hearing loss.

Methods: 100 consecutive patients over 65 years were screened for hearing loss and data were analyzed.

Results: In 34% in age between 65 and 75 years we found different forms of hearing loss. In age over 75 years we found 46% hearing loss, which needs to prescribe hearing aids.

Conclusions: Novel strategies should be explored to make screening and early intervention a feasible part of routine care.

Unterstützt durch: AHEAD III, Coordinator: Ferdinando Grandori