Improved hearing in Swedish 70-year olds-a cohort comparison over more than four decades (1971-2014)
Maria Hoff1,2, Tomas Tengstrand2, André Sadeghi1,2
1Unit of Audiology, Department of Health and Rehabilitation, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Objective:
the world population is ageing rapidly. In light of these demographic changes, it is of interest to generate current data regarding the prevalence and characteristics of age-related hearing loss. The purpose of this study was to investigate hearing acuity and the prevalence of hearing loss in a contemporary age-homogenous cohort of old adults, and to assess secular trends in hearing function during the last half-century (1971-2014).
Methods:
we performed a prospective population-based cohort comparison study of unscreened populations. As part of a geriatric population-based study (H70), a new cohort of 70-year olds (n = 1,135) born in 1944 was tested with computerised automated pure-tone audiometry. The hearing thresholds were compared to three earlier born cohorts of 70-year olds, born in 1901-02 (n = 376), 1906-07 (n = 297) and 1922 (n = 226), respectively.
Results:
significant improvements in median pure-tone thresholds were seen at several frequencies in both men (range: 5-20 dB, P < 0.01) and women (range: 5-10 dB, P < 0.01). When investigating the effect of birth cohort on hearing in a linear regression, significant trends were found. Men's hearing improved more than women's. The prevalence of hearing loss declined in the study period (1971-2014) from 53 to 28% for men and 37 to 23% for women (P < 0.01).
Conclusions:
these results indicate that the hearing acuity in Swedish 70-year olds has improved significantly over more than four decades. The largest improvements were seen at 4-6 kHz in men, possibly reflecting a decrease in occupational noise exposure. Further studies are required to pinpoint the reasons for improved hearing-health among older people.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Hearing
The Sense of Self: Reflected Self-Appraisal and Social Comparison
Multiple Comparison Tests
It would be easy to compare two samples using a significance alpha level of 0.05. In other words, there is only one sample pair to be compared. However, it would be difficult to identify a significantly different sample if the number...
Evolutionary Relationships through Genome Comparisons
Comparison Between Electrical And Gravitational Forces
Since both are inverse square law forces, the distance gets canceled when the ratio of the two forces is considered. Instead, the ratio of the electrical and gravitational forces depends on...
Comparison between RL and RC circuits


