Hearing

Presbycusis

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Presbycusis, Age-Related Hearing Loss, Senile Deafness

  • See Also
  1. Hearing Loss
  2. Sensorineural Hearing Loss
  3. Conductive Hearing Loss
  • Definitions
  1. Presbycusis
    1. Hearing Loss related to aging
  • Epidemiology
  1. Onset in middle age, and slowly progressive
  2. Most notable over age 65 years
  3. Most common cause of Sensorineural Hearing Loss
  • Risk Factors
  1. Older Age
  2. Chronic loud noise exposure
    1. See Noise Induced Hearing Loss
  3. Tobacco Abuse
  4. Heavy Alcohol use
  5. Ototoxin exposure
  • Pathophysiology
  1. Slowly progressive Sensorineural Hearing Loss
  2. Typically due to atrophy of Organ of Corti and auditory nerve at basal end of Cochlea
  3. Multifactorial from aging, genetic predisposition, vascular supply to the Cochlea and other risk factors (see above)
  • Symptoms
  1. Slowly progressive high frequency Hearing Loss
  2. Decreased speech discrimination
    1. See Hearing Impairment Severity Scale
    2. Poor understanding of speech even when loud enough
  3. Recruitment
    1. Abnormal Hypersensitivity to noise
  • Evaluation
  1. Audiometry displays high pitched Hearing Loss
  2. Acoustic reflex testing
  • Management
  1. Audiology
    1. Hearing Aid
  2. Otolaryngology (if Hearing Aid ineffective)
    1. Cochlear Implant
  • References
  1. Michels (2019) Am Fam Physician 100(2): 98-108 [PubMed]