J Korean Geriatr Soc.
2010 Dec;14(4):258-264.
Age Related Hearing Loss in Korea: A Healthcare Center-based Study
- Affiliations
-
- 1Department of Otolaryngology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
- 2Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Dongguk University Ilsan Hospital, Dongguk University College of Medicine, Ilsan, Korea.
- 3Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Soonchunhyang University Bucheon Hospital, Soonchunhyang University College of Medicine, Bucheon, Korea.
- 4Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
- 5Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Korea University Guro Hospital, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. schae@kumc.or.kr
Abstract
- BACKGROUND
Age-related hearing loss is a common degenerative disorder among older individuals that warrants attention in a society with an aging population. The objectives of this study were to investigate age-related hearing loss and to estimate the prevalence of age-related hearing loss in Korea using a healthcare center-based study.
METHODS
Persons older than 50 years of age visiting a selected health promotion center were recruited (n=10,118). Pure tone audiometry was performed on the subjects, and the average hearing thresholds were obtained using 500 Hz, 1,000 Hz, 2,000 Hz, and 4,000 Hz for the six-dimension method.
RESULTS
The prevalences of age-related hearing loss for subjects older than 65 years were 36.8% at a cutoff of > or =26 dBHL and 10.1% at a cutoff of > or =41 dBHL. When age and gender were corrected for, the estimated prevalences of age related hearing loss for those subjects greater than 65 years in the general population were 45.8% at a cutoff value of > or =26 dBHL and 14.8% at a cutoff value of > or =41 dBHL.
CONCLUSION
Our study provides important information concerning age-related hearing loss in Korea. The estimated prevalence of age-related hearing loss in the general population in Korea was high.
