The effects of age on hearing and middle ear function

Audiometric test results from 933 community dwelling males and females were presented to obtain the norm for each generation after middle age. Three aspects were adopted in this analysis; the cross-sectional aging transition of pure tone thresholds, the comparison in the self-perceived hearing difficulty among generations and the evaluation of middle ear function using multifrequency tympanometry. Subjects were divided into four age groups; 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s. There were statistically significant differences in pure tone thresholds between almost any two age groups at each frequency in both genders, especially at higher frequencies. The pure tone thresholds were also discussed in regard to gender difference and laterality. A contradiction between self-perceived hearing difficulty and auditory accuracy was observed in the elderly generation. Analysis of tympanometric measurements was performed on static admittance at 226 Hz, tympanometric peak pressure at 226 Hz and resonance frequency of the middle ear. These variables did not show any systematic aging change. However, it was considered they represented the reference values of each generation.