Unit of Audiology, Department of Health and Rehabilitation, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Audiology Department, Habilitation and Health, Region Västra Götaland, Sweden.
Int J Audiol. 2020 Sep;59(9):682-693. doi: 10.1080/14992027.2020.1731766. Epub 2020 Feb 24.
To describe the auditory function in early old age in detail based on both psychoacoustic and physiological measures, and to investigate the prevalence of specific audiological and otological pathologies. An unscreened subsample from a population-based geriatric investigation was examined with otoscopy; tympanometry; pure-tone audiometry; word-recognition-in-noise test; distortion-product otoacoustic emissions; and auditory-evoked brainstem responses. Audiometric subtypes and diagnoses were established based on set criteria. The association between word scores and ABR was examined with linear regression analysis. 251 persons aged 70 (113 men, 138 women, born in 1944) that were representative of the inhabitants of the city of Gothenburg. The prevalence of conductive pathology was 2% versus 49% for cochlear and 2% for auditory-neural pathology. Four percent had indeterminate type. Cochlear dysfunction was present in the majority of ears and around 20% performed worse-than-expected on speech testing. Poor performance on the speech in noise test was associated with prolonged interpeak latency interval of ABR waves I-V. Specific otological and audiological pathologies, other than cochlear hearing loss, are rare in the general population at age 70. Additionally, there is subtle evidence of age-related decline of the auditory nerve. Longitudinal follow-up would be of great interest.
为了详细描述老年早期的听觉功能，我们同时采用心理声学和生理学措施进行研究，并调查特定听力学和耳科学病理的流行情况。我们对一项基于人群的老年医学研究中的一个未筛选的亚样本进行了耳镜检查、鼓室图、纯音听力测试、噪声下言语识别测试、畸变产物耳声发射和听觉脑干反应测试。根据既定标准确定了听力障碍亚型和诊断。我们采用线性回归分析研究了单词得分与 ABR 之间的关系。251 名年龄为 70 岁的（113 名男性，138 名女性，出生于 1944 年）代表哥德堡市居民的个体。传导性病变的患病率为 2%，耳蜗病变为 49%，听觉神经病变为 2%。4%的人属于不确定类型。大多数耳朵都存在耳蜗功能障碍，大约 20%的人在言语测试中的表现不如预期。在噪声下言语测试中的较差表现与 ABR 波 I-V 之间的峰间潜伏期延长有关。除了耳蜗听力损失之外，在 70 岁的普通人群中，特定的耳科学和听力学病理非常罕见。此外，还有年龄相关性听神经衰退的微妙证据。进行纵向随访将非常有意义。
