Hearing loss and the COVID-19 pandemic

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Audiology
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Hearing loss is a significant public health issue with diverse causes.
• The COVID-19 pandemic drastically altered lifestyles globally, starting in Japan in April 2020.
• Understanding the pandemic's impact on hearing health is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the prevalence of hearing loss before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• To assess changes in hearing health among individuals who underwent health checkups in both 2019 and 2020.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of health checkup data from 2367 individuals in 2019 and 2020.
• Hearing loss defined by pure-tone audiometry thresholds: >30 dB at 1 kHz and >40 dB at 4 kHz.
• Statistical analysis controlled for age, sex, smoking, exercise, and alcohol consumption.

Main Results:

• Overall hearing loss rates increased from 9.5% in 2019 to 13.2% in 2020 (p < 0.0001).
• This increase remained significant after adjusting for confounding factors.
• Hearing loss prevalence rose notably in participants under 40 years (1.3% to 3.1%) and those aged 40-59 years (7.2% to 12.6%).

Conclusions:

• The COVID-19 pandemic is associated with a significant increase in hearing loss.
• Younger age groups (<40 and 40-59 years) showed a marked rise in hearing impairment.
• Further research is necessary to elucidate the specific pandemic-related factors contributing to this audiological trend.