Does Asymmetric Hearing Loss Affect the Ability to Understand in Noisy Environments?

This study aimed to determine whether, in asymmetric hearing loss, the presence of an ear with a better or worse hearing threshold is related to either better or worse speech-in-noise (SiN) intelligibility.

A total of 618 subjects with different degrees of hearing loss were evaluated for their ability to understand SiN. A stepwise forward logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the factors that affect performance. The influencing factors of very high or very low performance were determined.

Age, especially after 70 years of age, and hearing loss, especially from moderate hearing loss, negatively influence SiN intelligibility. Remarkably high intelligibility was identified in subjects with a contralateral ear presenting a better auditory threshold.

Although age and hearing loss are known factors that affect SiN intelligibility, the presence of a healthy contralateral ear is presented as the first description of preservation of SiN hearing ability.