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Hearing Loss in Adolescents Is on the Rise

One in five U.S. adolescents has some hearing loss.

Hearing loss in school-age children can affect learning, speech perception, social skill development, and self-image. To examine hearing-loss prevalence and trends in adolescents, researchers compared audiometric hearing evaluations in 2928 teens (age range, 12–19 years) in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III, 1988–1994) with evaluations in 1771 teens in the NHANES 2005–2006 survey.

Prevalence of unilateral or bilateral hearing loss (pure tone average, >15 dB) increased significantly from 14.9% in 1988–1994 to 19.5% in 2005–2006. Most hearing loss was unilateral, and high-frequency hearing loss was more common than low-frequency loss in both surveys. Prevalence of mild or worse hearing loss (>25 dB) also was significantly higher in the 2005–2006 survey. In 2005–2006, hearing loss was more common in males and in children from impoverished families. Hearing loss was not associated with ear infections, use of firearms, or self-reported noise exposure.

Comment: The startlingly high prevalence of hearing loss reported in this study suggests that we should consider performing audiometry in teens, especially when their school performance declines or other symptoms arise. Although no link was found between hearing loss and exposure to loud music, I wonder about its potential effects, especially given how hard it is to find a teen who isn't wearing earphones. Once lost, hearing will not return. We should caution teens about the potential risks of noise exposure, but the likelihood that they will voluntarily shorten their music time or lower the volume is nil. If these hearing loss trends continue, perhaps manufacturers could be convinced to limit the decibel levels on MP3 devices.

— F. Bruder Stapleton, MD

Published in Journal Watch Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine September 8, 2010

Citation(s):

Shargorodsky J et al. Change in prevalence of hearing loss in US adolescents. JAMA 2010 Aug 18; 304:772.

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