Prevalence of Subclinical Hearing Loss in the United States.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

Current definitions of hearing loss (HL) may be insufficiently strict, as subclinical hearing loss (SCHL; >0 and ≤25 dB hearing level) has been associated with deleterious age-related conditions. SCHL prevalence and mean age of HL onset in the United States has not been characterized.

Study design

A cross-sectional epidemiologic prevalence study.

Setting

US Community.

Methods

We analyzed cross-sectional audiometric data in the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2005-2012, 2015-2018, n = 15,649). Results were scaled to the current population using weighting.

Results

79.6% of participants (227.32 million Americans) had SCHL. The mean age of HL onset at thresholds of 25, 20, and 15 dB was 74, 66, and 55 years, respectively, for t

SUBMITTER: Dragon JM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10830094 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature