Self reported hearing difficulty, tinnitus, and normal audiometric thresholds, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2002.

Self reported hearing difficulty, tinnitus, and normal audiometric thresholds, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2002. Hear Res. 2017 Dec 07;: Authors: Spankovich C, Gonzalez VB, Su D, Bishop CE Abstract Perceived hearing difficulty (HD) and/or tinnitus in the presence of normal audiometric thresholds present a clinical challenge. Yet, there is limited data regarding prevalence and determinant factors contributing to HD. Here we present estimates generalized to the non-institutionalized population of the United States based on the cross-sectional population-based study, the National Health and Nutrition and Examination Survey (NHANES) in 2176 participants (20-69 years of age). Normal audiometric thresholds were defined by pure-tone average (PTA4) of 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 4.0 kHz ≤ 25 dBHL in each ear. Hearing difficulty (HD) and tinnitus perception was self-reported. Of the 2176 participants with complete data, 2015 had normal audiometric thresholds based on PTA4; the prevalence of individuals with normal PTA4 that self-reported HD was 15%. The percentage of individuals with normal audiometric threshold and persistent tinnitus was 10.6%. Multivariate logistic regression adjusting for age, sex, and hearing thresholds identified the following variables related to increased odds of HD: tinnitus, balance issues, noise exposure, arthritis, vision difficulties, neuropathic symptoms, physical/mental/emotional issues; ...
Source: Hearing Research - Category: Audiology Authors: Tags: Hear Res Source Type: research