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Hearing Loss/Presbycusis
Published in Charles Theisler, Adjuvant Medical Care, 2023
Presbycusis is the bilateral and symmetrical cumulative gradual hearing loss from inner ear damage occurring as a result of age or regular exposure to loud sounds, illness, and genetics. It usually occurs after the age of 50. Initially, changes in the inner ear, such as degeneration of hair cells and changes in the basilar membrane, lead to decreased hearing at higher tones and a decline in pitch discrimination. Sounds gradually become muffled, distorted, or obscured by background noises. As hearing continues to be lost, lower pitch tones also become harder to hear.1
Building the patient profile
Published in Stephanie Martin, Working with Voice Disorders, 2020
Because the process of loss of hearing is gradual, people who have presbycusis may not realise that their hearing is diminishing and as sounds become less and less clear and lower in volume those patients experiencing this themselves, or in a partner, may begin to use increased vocal volume with accompanied vocal tension.
Auditory Efferent System
Published in Stavros Hatzopoulos, Andrea Ciorba, Mark Krumm, Advances in Audiology and Hearing Science, 2020
Thalita Ubiali, Maria Francisca Colella-Santos
Recent works have suggested that olivocochlear feedback can slow age-related hearing loss by protecting the cochlear nerve from degeneration. Cumulative exposure to every day “nontraumatic” sounds would cause loss of synaptic terminals on IHC without losses of OHC (Maison et al., 2013; Liberman et al., 2014). This type of neuropathy can be implicated in difficulties hearing in noise and is very common in presbycusis. Therefore, feedback from the cochlea’s efferent neurons might minimize neuronal degeneration and hence slow the progression of cochlear aging (Liberman et al., 2014). According to these authors, this type of neuropathy is also seen after moderate noise exposure and has been termed “hidden hearing loss” “because it does not affect thresholds, but can be seen in the suprathreshold amplitudes of cochlear neural responses,” negatively impacting the ability of hearing in a noisy environment (Liberman et al., 2014). For this reason, efferent reflex strength, as measured noninvasively in humans, can be a potential neurobiological marker of risk factor, and prognostic indicator, for age-related hearing impairment (Liberman et al., 2014).
Theory of Mind and its relation to presbycusis. A pilot study
Published in Speech, Language and Hearing, 2023
Jesús Valero-García, Ledicia Iglesias, Núria Silvestre
An additional factor associated with aging, and one that might also have a role in cognitive decline, is presbycusis. This term is used to describe bilateral, progressive and irreversible hearing loss that occurs as part of the aging process without any single defined origin. Presbycusis is characterized by hearing problems affecting higher-pitched auditory frequencies (>25 dB in both ears) (Gates & Mills, 2005). Indeed, researchers have confirmed that if presbycusis is not properly treated it can affect, directly or indirectly, ToM abilities (Amieva, Ouvrard, Meillon, Rullier, & Dartigues, 2018). Despite its prevalence among adults over 65 (WHO, 2018b), this issue has been met with a poor response from the healthcare community and attracted little interest from researchers examining ToM in older people. It must be noted that in the healthcare field presbycusis tends to be underdiagnosed, meaning that older adults with mild hearing loss are often unaware they are suffering from it (Valero-Garcia & Vila Rovira, 2018). This underdiagnosis might hinder the adoption of hearing aids, which when carried out correctly can help improve patients’ quality of life (e.g. Chisolm et al., 2007; Manrique-Huarte, Calavia, Huarte, Girón, & Manrique-Rodríguez, 2016; Timmer, Hickson, & Launer, 2015).
Evaluation of age-related changes in middle-ear structures by wideband tympanometry
Published in Acta Oto-Laryngologica, 2022
Doğukan Özdemir, Dursun Mehmet Mehel, Ayşe Bel Çeçen, Şule Özdemir, Ömer Küçüköner, Abdulkadir Özgür
Age‐related hearing loss (ARHL) is the most frequent cause of sensorineural hearing loss in adults. Presbycusis is defined as symmetrical bilateral hearing loss associated with progressive degeneration of cochlear structures and central auditory pathways due to aging [1]. Presbycusis initially affects high-frequency sounds, leading to poor speech recognition. Numerous environmental and genetic factors are considered to play a role in the age of onset, progression, and pathophysiology of the disease [2]. Presbycusis has been documented to affect 37% of adults between the ages of 61–70, and 80% of those age 85 and over [3]. It has been reported that approximately 75% of the American population >70 years of age is affected by ARHL; moreover, the prevalence of ARHL is projected to increase as the world’s population ages [4].
Creating Virtual Reality Based Interventions for Older Adults Impacted by Substance Misuse: Safety and Design Considerations
Published in Journal of Technology in Human Services, 2021
Micki Washburn, Aaron Hagedorn, Steven Moore
In addition to safety concerns associated with limited vision, many older adults may have difficulties with their hearing. Presbycusis is age-related hearing loss of higher pitched sounds, experienced universally among the aged as a result of a lifetime of high-volume exposures (Gates & Mills, 2005). Profound hearing loss affects up to one third of people 65-74, and about half of people over age 75 (NIH, 2020). Audio queues should be able to be adjustable to ensure safe and comfortable volume for the users. Audio devices which normally present in stereo (simulating surround sound) may not be feasible if the participant has partial or total hearing loss in one or both ears (Murray, Arnold, & Thornton, 2000). Volumes should be set just loud enough for the users to hear within the virtual environment, but also provide them with the ability to hear ambient noises and receive verbal instruction from the interventionist. Users may also experience discomfort from feedback when headphones interact with hearing aids, as the volumes may differ between left and right sides (Lau, Pichora-Fuller, Li, Singh, & Campos, 2016). Audio volume in each side of the headset should be independently adjustable. In addition, the interventionist should perform a volume check prior to the user entering the virtual environment and check in with the user regularly to ensure the user volume levels are appropriate and to minimize any discomfort the user may encounter.