Prognostic significance of the QuickSIN score for future hearing threshold deterioration

About 10% of audiology patients who experience hearing difficulties in noise have clinically normal hearing thresholds in quiet. While it has been suggested that hearing difficulties in noise might be a precursor for the subsequent development of clinical hearing loss, there is so far no direct evidence that supports this hypothesis. This study aimed to determine whether hearing difficulties in noise, as measured by the Quick Speech in Noise (QuickSIN) test, could be used to identify people at risk of the development and the progression of clinical hearing loss, using a large dataset of 1128 individuals in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA). A linear mixed model analysis revealed that individuals with a poorer QuickSIN score at the preceding audiological assessment were likely to reveal a more substantial deterioration in clinical audiometric thresholds at their subsequent visit than those with a better QuickSIN score at their previous assessment. These findings offer valuable insights for early interventions and monitoring strategies for individuals at risk of hearing loss.