Objectives/Hypothesis
Hearing loss is the most common sensory impairment worldwide. It restricts patients in many aspects of their daily lives and can lead to social exclusion. Understanding this burden is a mandatory requirement for the care of those affected. Therefore, the aim of this study was to estimate the burden of hearing loss in a large German cohort.
Study Design
Cohort study.
Methods
The Gutenberg Health Study is designed as a single-center, prospective, and observational cohort study and representative for the city of Mainz, Germany, with its district. Participants were interviewed concerning common otologic symptoms and tested by pure-tone audiometry. The primary outcome was hearing impairment stratified by age and sex. The prevalence of tinnitus was estimated for a subcohort to calculate disability-adjusted life years (DALYs). All results were weighted by the European Standard Population (ESP) 2013.
Results
A total of 5,024 participants (mean age: 61.2 years, 2,591 men and 2,433 women) were included in the study. Hearing impairment showed the following prevalence: 28.2% (95% confidence interval [CI], 26.9%–29.4%) mild impairment, 10.1% (95% CI, 9.3%–11.0%) moderate impairment, 2.3% (95% CI, 1.9%–2.7%) moderately severe impairment, 0.2% (95% CI, 0.1%–0.4%) severe impairment, 0% (95% CI, 0.0%–0.1%) profound impairment, and 0.1% (95% CI, 0.0%–0.2%) complete impairment. Weighted for the ESP 2013 (all ages), hearing impairment across all levels (with/without tinnitus) causes a total of 2,118.97 DALYs per 100,000.
Conclusion
With 40.9% affected, the hearing loss represents a relevant burden of the German population. Understanding this will provide the basis for future guidelines on how to care for these patients.
Level of Evidence
2 Laryngoscope, 2021
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