Presbycusis, or age-related hearing loss, is the cumulative effect of aging on hearing. Also known as presbyacusis, it is defined as a progressive bilateral symmetrical age-related sensorineural hearing loss. The hearing loss is most marked at higher frequencies.
Deterioration in hearing has been found to start very early, from about age 18 years. The ISO standard 7029 shows expected threshold changes due purely to age for carefully screened popu...
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Presbycusis, or age-related hearing loss, is the cumulative effect of aging on hearing. Also known as presbyacusis, it is defined as a progressive bilateral symmetrical age-related sensorineural hearing loss. The hearing loss is most marked at higher frequencies.
Deterioration in hearing has been found to start very early, from about age 18 years. The ISO standard 7029 shows expected threshold changes due purely to age for carefully screened populations (i.e. excluding those with ear disease, noise exposure etc), based on a meta-analysis of published data (Robinson & Sutton 1979). Age affects high frequencies more than low, and men rather more than women. One early consequence is that even young adults lose the ability to hear very high frequency tones above 15 or 16kHz. Despite this age-related hearing loss may only become noticeable later in life. The effects of age can be exacerbated by exposure to environmental noise, whether at work or in leisure time (shooting, music, etc). This...
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