Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 25, 2026
09:43
Video-oculography in Mice
Published on: July 19, 2012
24.4K
Hearing loss prevalence in the aging population: updated population-based audiometric data from the Rotterdam study
N C Homans1, J H C Boons1, A Goedegebure1
1Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Erasmus MC, the Netherlands.
International Journal of Audiology
|December 4, 2025
Summary
Age-related hearing loss affects a significant portion of older adults, with over 60% of those 80+ experiencing hearing impairment. This highlights a growing need for hearing rehabilitation services, including cochlear implants, for the aging population.
Area of Science:
- Audiology
- Gerontology
- Public Health
Background:
- Age-related hearing loss (presbycusis) is a prevalent condition affecting quality of life.
- Estimating the prevalence of hearing loss in older populations is crucial for public health planning.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide updated prevalence estimates of age-related hearing loss in the Dutch population, specifically focusing on older adults.
- To explore the implications of these estimates for hearing rehabilitation, including cochlear implant candidacy.
Main Methods:
- A population-based, prospective cohort study utilizing data from the Rotterdam Study.
- Inclusion of 7,772 unscreened participants aged 40 years and older, with data collected between 2011 and July 2024.
Main Results:
- Hearing loss (>35 dBHL in the better ear) was prevalent in 31% of men and 30% of women aged ≥65 years.
- In adults aged ≥80 years, 62% of men and 57% of women had hearing loss.
- Cochlear implant candidacy criteria could potentially be met by up to 7.0% of adults aged ≥80 years, a tenfold increase depending on the definition used.
Conclusions:
- Age-related hearing loss represents a growing public health challenge due to population aging.
- The demand for hearing rehabilitation, including cochlear implants, is projected to increase significantly.
- Timely identification, referral, and innovative care models are essential to address the rising needs of older adults with hearing loss.
Related Concept Videos
01:31Hearing
47.9K
When we hear a sound, our nervous system is detecting sound waves—pressure waves of mechanical energy traveling through a medium. The frequency of the wave is perceived as pitch, while the amplitude is perceived as loudness.
47.9K
01:22Pharmacokinetics in Geriatric Patients: Effect of Age on Drug Absorption
849
As individuals age, their body's physiology evolves, affecting drug pharmacokinetics. The most apparent changes occur in the gastrointestinal tract, where an increase in gastric pH, a delay in gastric emptying, and a reduction in gastrointestinal motility are observed. Remarkably, these changes do not substantially modify the absorption of orally administered drugs, particularly those absorbed via passive diffusion.Transdermal drug delivery emerges as a highly viable method for older adults due...
849
01:27Pharmacodynamics in Geriatric Patients: Effects of Age
365
Age-related pharmacokinetic changes are extensively documented, but understanding age-related pharmacodynamic alterations is relatively limited. This knowledge gap can be partly attributed to the complexity of developing appropriate measures of drug responses compared to bioanalytical methods for determining drug concentrations.Most information regarding age-related differences in human pharmacodynamics originates from cross-sectional studies. However, these studies assume that observed mean...
365