von Gablenz P, Hoffmann E, Holube I
Institute of Hearing Technology and Audiology, Jade University of Applied Sciences and Cluster of Excellence "Hearing4All", Oldenburg, Germany.
, Kempten (Allgäu), Germany.
HNO. 2017 Aug;65(Suppl 2):130-135. doi: 10.1007/s00106-016-0318-4.
The HÖRSTAT study conducted in Northwest Germany found hearing impairment in approximately 16% of adults when applying the World Health Organization (WHO) criterion. However, the robustness of extrapolations to a national level might be questioned, as the epidemiological data were collected on a regional level.
Independently from HÖRSTAT, the "Hearing in Germany" study examined adult hearing in Aalen, a town located in Southwest Germany. Both cross-sectional studies were based on stratified random samples from the general population. The average pure-tone threshold shift at 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 kHz (PTA4), the prevalence of hearing impairment (WHO criterion: PTA4 in the better ear >25), and hearing aid uptake were compared. Data from the Aalen and HÖRSTAT studies were pooled (n = 3105) to extrapolate to the prevalence and the degree of hearing impairment for the years 2015, 2020, and 2025.
Both studies yielded very similar results for PTA4. Weighted for official population statistics, the prevalence of hearing impairment according to the WHO criterion is 16.2% in adults, thus affecting 11.1 million persons in Germany. Owing to demographic changes, the prevalence is expected to increase in the medium term by around 1% per 5‑year period. With a similar degree of hearing loss, hearing aid provision differs from place to place.
When adjusted for gender and age to the European Standard Population, the prevalence of hearing impairment observed both in HÖRSTAT and the Aalen sample is considerably lower than reported for international studies. Since the analysis refers to cross-sectional data only, possible cohort effects are not considered in the prevalence projection.
在德国西北部进行的HÖRSTAT研究发现，采用世界卫生组织（WHO）标准时，约16%的成年人存在听力障碍。然而，由于流行病学数据是在区域层面收集的，因此将其外推至国家层面的可靠性可能受到质疑。
独立于HÖRSTAT研究，“德国听力”研究对位于德国西南部的奥厄恩镇的成年人听力状况进行了调查。两项横断面研究均基于从普通人群中分层随机抽取的样本。比较了0.5、1、2和4kHz处的平均纯音阈值偏移（PTA4）、听力障碍患病率（WHO标准：较好耳的PTA4>25）以及助听器佩戴率。将奥厄恩和HÖRSTAT研究的数据合并（n = 3105），以推断2015年、2020年和2025年听力障碍的患病率和程度。
两项研究在PTA4方面得出了非常相似的结果。根据官方人口统计数据加权后，按照WHO标准，成年人听力障碍患病率为16.2%，因此德国有1110万人受影响。由于人口结构变化，预计中期患病率每5年将增加约1%。在听力损失程度相似的情况下，助听器的配备情况因地区而异。
在根据性别和年龄调整为欧洲标准人口后，HÖRSTAT研究和奥厄恩样本中观察到的听力障碍患病率均远低于国际研究报告的水平。由于分析仅涉及横断面数据，患病率预测中未考虑可能的队列效应。
