Substantial sex differences identified, with 10 percent decrease in hearing loss in women, but 2 percent increase in men<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
<\/b><\/p>\n
<\/b><\/p>\n
TUESDAY, Dec. 28, 2021 (HealthDay News) — From 2008 to 2017, there was a decrease in the prevalence of serious hearing loss among older adults in the United States, according to a study published online Dec. 16 in A<\/em>ging and Health Research<\/em>.<\/p>\n ZhiDi Deng and Esme Fuller-Thomson, Ph.D., from the University of Toronto, examined the temporal trend in prevalence of hearing loss among older Americans (ages 65 years and older) in a secondary analysis of the annual American Community Surveys from 2008 to 2017, which included data for 5,359,651 older adults living in the community and in group quarters.<\/p>\n The researchers found that the prevalence of serious hearing loss declined in the older American population during 2008 to 2017, from 16.3 to 14.8 percent; after adjustments for sex and race, there was an 11 percent decline. When age was taken into account, the decline was attenuated to 4 percent. There were substantial sex differences observed: The age-race-adjusted odds of serious hearing loss declined 10 percent among women aged 65 years and older, while men experienced a 2 percent increase during the study period.<\/p>\n “More research is needed to understand the extraordinary differences in the 10-year prevalence of hearing loss between older American males and females,” Fuller-Thomson said in a statement. “Identifying the causes and driver behind the sex differences in hearing loss can help us design preventative strategies to better support our aging population.”<\/p>\n