Ear diseases and other risk factors for hearing impairment among adults: An epidemiological study

Hannula, SamuliDepartment of Clinical Medicine, Otorhinolaryngology, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland (author)

Funding Agencies|European ARHI Project|QLRT-2001-00331|
Funding agencies:European ARHI Project QLRT-2001-00331
Objective: To investigate the prevalence of ear diseases, other otological risk factors potentially affecting hearing, and noise exposure among adults. Furthermore, subject-related factors possibly associated with hearing impairment (HI), i.e. handedness, eye color, and susceptibility to sunburn, were studied. Design: A cross-sectional, unscreened, population-based, epidemiological study among adults. Study sample: The subjects (n = 850), aged 54-66 years, were randomly sampled from the population register. A questionnaire survey, an otological examination, and pure-tone audiometry were performed. Results: Chronic middle-ear disease (both active and inactive) was the most common ear disease with a prevalence of 5.3%, while the prevalence of otosclerosis was 1.3%, and that of Menieres disease, 0.7%. Noise exposure was reported by 46% of the subjects, and it had no effect on hearing among those with no ear disease or other otological risk factors for HI. Dark eye color and non-susceptibility to sunburn were associated with HI among noise-exposed subjects. Conclusions: Common ear diseases and other otological risk factors constitute a major part of the etiologies of HI among adults. Contrary to previous studies, noise exposure turned out to have only marginal effect on hearing among those with no otological risk factors.

Bloigu, RistoMedical Informatics Group, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland (author)
Majamaa, KariDepartment of Clinical Medicine, Neurology, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland (author)
Sorri, MarttiDepartment of Clinical Medicine, Otorhinolaryngology, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland (author)
Mäki-Torkko, ElinaÖrebro universitet,Linköpings universitet,Teknisk audiologi,Hälsouniversitetet,Institutionen för medicinska vetenskaper,Department of Clinical Medicine, Otorhinolaryngology, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland; Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine/Technical Audiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden; Department of ENT-Head Neck Surgery UHL, County Council of Östergötland, Linköping, Sweden(Swepub:oru)emo (author)
Department of Clinical Medicine, Otorhinolaryngology, University of Oulu, Oulu, FinlandMedical Informatics Group, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland (creator_code:org_t)

In:International Journal of Audiology: Informa Healthcare51:11, s. 833-8401499-20271708-8186

By the author/editor: Hannula, Samuli; Bloigu, Risto; Majamaa, Kari; Sorri, Martti; Mäki-Torkko, Eli ...

About the subject

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES: MEDICAL AND HEAL ...; and Clinical Medicin ...; and Otorhinolaryngol ...

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