A preliminary study on developing statistical distribution table of hearing threshold deviation for otologically normal Chinese adults

Linjie WU; Yang LI; Haiying LIU; Anke ZENG; Jinzhe LI; Wei QIU; Hua ZOU; Meng YE; Meibian ZHANG

Return

A preliminary study on developing statistical distribution table of hearing threshold deviation for otologically normal Chinese adults

VernacularTitle:耳科正常中国人听阈偏差值统计分布表构建的初步研究
Author: Linjie WU ¹ ; Yang LI ¹ ; Haiying LIU ² ; Anke ZENG ¹ ; Jinzhe LI ³ ; Wei QIU ⁴ ; Hua ZOU ⁵ ; Meng YE ¹ ; Meibian ZHANG ¹
Author Information

1. National Institute for Occupational Health and Poison Control, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 100050, China.
2. School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui 230032, China.
3. Occupational Health Institute, Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Beijing 100013, China.
4. Research Center for Occupational Health, Yangtze Delta Region Institute of Tsinghua University, Jiaxing, Zhejiang 314006, China.
5. Occupational Health and Radiation Protection Institute, Zhejiang Provincial Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310051, China.
Publication Type:Specialcolumn:Noisekurtosisadjustmentandpreventingandcontrollingoccupationalhearingloss
Keywords: otologically normal person; hearing threshold deviation; hearing threshold; age; frequency; gender
From: Journal of Environmental and Occupational Medicine 2025;42(7):800-807
CountryChina
Language:Chinese
Abstract: background Current assessment of noise-induced hearing loss relies on the hearing threshold statistical distribution table of ISO 7029-2017 standard (ISO 7029), which is based on foreign population data and lacks a hearing threshold distribution table derived from pure-tone audiometry data of the Chinese population, hindering accurate evaluation of hearing loss in this group. Objective To establish a statistical distribution table of hearing threshold level (HTL) for otologically normal Chinese adults and to provide a scientific basis for revising the diagnostic criteria of occupational noise-induced deafness in China. Methods A total of 1271 otologically normal Chinese adults aged 18-60 years were divided into four groups with 10-year age intervals. Based on the pure tone audiometry data and power function operation formula, the relevant parameters of the median and percentile calculation formula of ISO 7029 were adjusted. Based on the adjusted parameters, a statistical distribution table of HTL of normal Chinese adults in otology was preliminarily constructed according to the calculation formula of ISO 7029. A nonparametric rank sum test was used to compare the difference between the adjusted median deviation value and the ISO 7029 calculation. Results Except for a few frequencies (2000, 3000, and 8000 Hz), the value of parameter α adjusted for the auditory threshold deviation of the Chinese population (α_CHN-md) increased with the increase of frequency, while the value of parameter β adjusted for the auditory threshold deviation of the Chinese population (β_CHN-md) decreased with the increase of frequency. The preliminary distribution table of otologically normal Chinese adults' median hearing threshold deviation (ΔH_CHN-md) showed that the hearing threshold deviation increased with age and frequency. At 8000 Hz, the increase in ΔH_CHN-md with age was the greatest for both men and women, from 0 dB to 23 dB and 21 dB respectively. The minimal threshold elevation was noted at 500, 1000, and 2000 Hz, which increased from 0 dB to 2 dB. In otologically normal Chinese adults, the maximum increase of ΔH_CHN-md with frequency was observed at age of 50 years, which increased from 2 dB at 500 Hz to 23 dB at 8000 Hz in men and from 2 dB at 500 Hz to 21 dB at 8000 Hz in women. The comparison results with the ISO 7029 calculation showed that the trend was consistent. The median hearing threshold deviation value of the adjusted Chinese population was lower than that of the ISO 7029 calculation (ΔH_md). However, they had no significant statistical difference (P>0.05). For otologically normal normal Chinese men and women, the maximum difference of ΔH_md between the 50-year-old group and the ISO calculation at 8000 Hz was 7 dB and 9 dB, respectively. Conclusion This preliminary analysis of hearing threshold deviations in otologically normal Chinese adults suggests that current standards may potentially underestimate hearing loss at frequencies below 8000 Hz while possibly overestimating it at 8000 Hz. These findings require further validation through expanded sample sizes to more accurately assess the characteristics of hearing thresholds in the Chinese population and their discrepancies with existing standards.