Hearing of 75-year old persons over three decades: Has hearing changed?

Objective: The state of hearing in 75-year old persons was measured in a population based epidemiological study with the aim of studying if hearing had changed during a time span of 29 years. Design: An epidemiological study of generational effects in three age cohorts. Study sample: Three age cohorts were included: cohort 1 (n: 267) born in 1976-77, cohort 4 (n: 197) in 1990-91, and cohort 6 (n: 570) in 2005. The same test procedures using pure-tone audiometry and a short questionnaire were applied to the three cohorts of 75-year old residents in the same city. Results: The hearing was essentially unchanged during the span of the investigation-almost three decades. Low-frequency hearing was up to about 10 dB poorer in the most recently studied cohort compared to the previously studied cohorts. The reason for this difference is considered to depend on methodological factors. Self-assessed hearing and tinnitus was mainly unchanged, or had minor changes both to the better and to the worse. Conclusions: The hearing, both measured with pure-tone audiometry and with a short questionnaire, of 75-year old persons has not changed at all, or only marginally, over three decades.