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Definition
By Mayo Clinic staffGradual hearing loss that occurs as you age (presbycusis) is common. According to the National Institutes of Health, an estimated one-third of Americans between the ages of 65 and 75 and close to one-half of those older than 75 have some degree of hearing loss.
Doctors believe that heredity and chronic exposure to loud noises are the main factors that contribute to hearing loss over time. Other factors, such as earwax blockage, can prevent your ears from conducting sounds as well as they should.
You can't reverse hearing loss. However, you don't have to live in a world of quieter, less distinct sounds. You and your doctor or hearing specialist can take steps to improve what you hear.
- Hearing loss. National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. http://nihseniorhealth.gov/hearingloss/hearinglossdefined/01.html. Accessed June 26, 2009.
- Weber PC. Evaluation of hearing loss in adults. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed June 26, 2009.
- Medwetsky L. Hearing loss. In: Duthie EH, et al. Practice of Geriatrics. 4th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/146634551-3/0/1532/189.html?tocnode=53845996&fromURL=189.html#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-2261-9..50026-4_447. Accessed June 26, 2009.
- Kozak AT, et al. Hearing loss. Otolaryngologic Clinics of North America. 2009; 42:79.
- Weber PC. Etiology of hearing loss in adults. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed June 26, 2009.
- Drug-induced ototoxicity. The Merck Manuals: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merck.com/mmpe/sec08/ch086/ch086d.html. Accessed June 26, 2009.
- Occupational noise exposure — 1910.95. U.S. Department of Labor. http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=9735. Accessed June 26, 2009.
- Hidalgo JL, et al. The hearing-dependent daily activities scale to evaluate impact of hearing loss in older people. Annals of Family Medicine. 2008;6:441.
- Katbamna B, et al. Acquired hearing loss in adolescents. Pediatric Clinics of North America. 2008:55;1391.
- Common sounds. National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/education/teachers/common_sounds.asp. Accessed June 26, 2009.
- Takahashi PY (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. July 1, 2009.
- Learn more about hearing loss prevention: Noise meter. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Accessed July 15, 2009.
- How loud is too loud? American Tinnitus Association. http://www.ata.org/about-tinnitus/how-loud-too-loud. Accessed July 15, 2009.
