[Prevalence of hearing impairment in northwestern Germany. Results of an epidemiological study on hearing status (HÖRSTAT)]. / Prävalenz von Schwerhörigkeit im Nordwesten Deutschlands : Ergebnisse einer epidemiologischen Untersuchung zum Hörstatus (HÖRSTAT).
HNO
; 63(3): 195-214, 2015 Mar.
Article
em De
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-25720301
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
A pure-tone average of 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 kHz in the better ear (PTA-4) is the international standard criterion set by the World Health Organization (WHO) to describe hearing loss. Presently, there are no epidemiological data on hearing loss in Germany based on this criterion.METHODS:
A representative sample of adults from Oldenburg and Emden were invited for a hearing assessment. This article analyzes the association between hearing loss and age, sex, noise, occupation, and educational level. Age- and sex-specific prevalence rates following the WHO classification are compared with international findings.RESULTS:
According to the WHO classification, the prevalence of hearing impairment in the study cohort (n=1,866) is approx. 16%. In men, who more commonly work in noisy jobs, a higher prevalence rate is observed than in women of the same age. Nevertheless, sex differences in the present study are smaller than those reported in most international studies. PTA-4 is approximately the same for men and women when effects of occupational noise are controlled, but differences in prevalence between occupational areas are still significant.CONCLUSION:
Compared with international findings, age-specific prevalence rates in HÖRSTAT are low. In the synopsis of epidemiological studies of the past 25 years, a trend toward decreasing prevalence in middle and higher age groups can be observed.
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Audiometria de Tons Puros
/
Emprego
/
Perda Auditiva
/
Ruído Ocupacional
Tipo de estudo:
Etiology_studies
/
Prevalence_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Limite:
Adolescent
/
Adult
/
Aged
/
Aged80
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
/
Middle aged
País/Região como assunto:
Europa
Idioma:
De
Revista:
HNO
Ano de publicação:
2015
Tipo de documento:
Article