Acquired hearing loss in adolescents

Studies on prevalence of acquired hearing loss across the life span have shown a trend of increase in hearing loss with age. A parallel decline in age of recreational use of loud music and cigarette smoking suggests that these early listening and recreational habits may be major contributing factors to the chronic hearing disability seen in later years. In recognition of these new recreational patterns of adolescents and young adults, Healthy People 2010 has issued a list of objectives for prevention of noise-induced hearing loss and smoking in adolescents and young adults through early education and intervention. In this article, the authors describe the effects of noise- and music-induced and smoking-induced hearing loss and provide guidelines for early identification and hearing conservation. Such an early approach to identification and conservation should ultimately help reduce hearing loss prevalence rates in adults.