Hearing loss prevalence and burden of disease in China: Findings from provincial-level analysis.
10.1097/CM9.0000000000003096
- Author:
Yu WANG
1
;
Yang XIE
2
;
Minghao WANG
3
;
Mengdan ZHAO
2
;
Rui GONG
4
;
Ying XIN
1
;
Jia KE
1
;
Ke ZHANG
1
;
Shaoxing ZHANG
1
;
Chen DU
1
;
Qingchuan DUAN
5
;
Fang WANG
6
;
Tao PAN
1
;
Furong MA
1
;
Xiangyang HU
4
Author Information
1. Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Peking University Third Hospital, Bejing 100191, China.
2. School of Economics and Management, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China.
3. Ship Standardization Research Center, China Institute of Marine Technology and Economy, Beijing 100081, China.
4. Department of Rehabilitation, China Disabled Persons' Federation, Beijing 100034, China.
5. Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, National Center for Children's Health, Beijing 100045, China.
6. Department of Rights Protection, China Disabled Persons' Federation, Beijing 100034,China.
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- MeSH:
Humans;
China/epidemiology*;
Hearing Loss/epidemiology*;
Prevalence;
Middle Aged;
Male;
Female;
Adult;
Aged;
Adolescent;
Young Adult;
Child;
Child, Preschool;
Infant;
Aged, 80 and over;
Cost of Illness
- From:
Chinese Medical Journal
2025;138(1):41-48
- CountryChina
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
BACKGROUND:Without timely and effective rehabilitation, hearing loss may profoundly affect human life quality. China has a large population of hearing-impaired individuals, which imposes a heavy health burden on society. Moreover, this population is projected to increase rapidly owing to China's aging society.
METHODS:We used data from a population-representative epidemiological investigation of hearing loss and ear diseases in four Chinese provinces. We estimated the national prevalence using multiple linear regression of the age-group proportions and prevalence in 31 provinces with clustering analysis. We used years lived with disability (YLDs) to analyze the disease burden and forecasted the prevalence of hearing loss by 2060 in China.
RESULTS:An estimated 115 million people had moderate-to-complete hearing loss in 2015 across the 31 provinces of China (8.4% of 1.37 billion people). Of these, 85.7% were older than age 50 years (99 million people) and 2.4% were younger than 20 years old (2.8 million people). Of all YLDs attributable to hearing loss, 68.9% were attributable to moderate-to-complete cases. By 2060, a projected 242 million people in China will have moderate-to-complete hearing loss, a 110.0% increase from 2015.
CONCLUSIONS:The hearing loss prevalence in China is high. Population aging and socioeconomic factors substantially affect the prevalence and severity of hearing loss and the disease burden. The prevalence and severity of hearing loss are unevenly distributed across different provinces. Future public health policies should take these trends and regional variations into account.
