Preliminary study on hearing screening for the elderly population undergoing physical examinations
10.3760/cma.j.cn115330-20240620-00365
- VernacularTitle:老年体检人群听力筛查初探
- Author:
Jianglan ZUO
1
;
Yanan LAN
;
Wen SUN
;
Yufei QIAO
;
Jing LI
;
Yingying SHANG
Author Information
1. 中国医学科学院 北京协和医学院 北京协和医院耳鼻咽喉科，北京 100730
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Presbycusis;
Aged;
Hearing tests;
Audiometry, pure-tone
- From:
Chinese Journal of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery
2025;60(2):166-171
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Objective:To understand the prevalence of hearing loss among individuals aged 60 and above undergoing physical examinations and to explore the feasibility of using pure tone audiometry (PTA) for hearing screening in the elderly population, as well as to establish screening criteria suitable for our country.Methods:The study was a cross-sectional study, a total of 1 066 elderly individuals (619 males and 447 females; Age range: 60-90 years old, with an average of 66.5 years old) who underwent physical examinations at the Peking Union Medical College Hospital physical examination center from February to December 2023, were screened using PTA and the Chinese version Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly Screening (CHHIE-S). Different screening criteria were applied to calculate the proportion of individuals who did not pass the PTA screening in the elderly population. The consistency between these results and the screening outcomes of the CHHIE-S scale was analyzed to explore reasonable screening standards. We performed statistical analysis using SPSS 27.0.Results:It was found that 18.39% of the elderly population had moderate or severe hearing loss. The positive rate determined by the detection of pure tones at a fixed dB level was significantly higher than that based on the average hearing threshold across 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 kHz frequencies (4-frequency pure-tone average, 4fPTA), and the difference was statistically significant ( χ2=136.56, P<0.001). The criterion of 4fPTA>35 dB HL in the better ear showed the highest consistency with the criterion of CHHIE-S>8, with a Kappa value of 0.554 ( P<0.001), and this criterion resulted in a positive rate of 15.57% (166/1 066). Conclusions:Conducting hearing screening based on PTA among the elderly population undergoing physical examinations is an effective and feasible approach. Given the subjective perceptions of the elderly population being screened, a 4fPTA greater than 35 dB HL in both ears might be a reasonable criterion.
