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May 28, 2021
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Poll: Many Americans forgo treatment for hearing loss

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A new poll released in conjunction with Better Hearing and Speech Month — observed each May — showed that many adults in the U.S. value their hearing, but few who experience hearing loss seek treatment.

The poll of about 2,500 adults commissioned by the American-Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) showed that most adults (80%) believe that sustaining hearing health is “extremely important” or “very important” to their quality of life. However, only 20% had undergone a hearing test in the past 5 years.

A survey of nearly 2,500 US adults revealed that only 20% had undergone a hearing test in the past 5 years.
Reference: American-Speech-Language-Hearing-Association.

In addition, the poll showed that 51% of respondents reported having hearing problems, yet only 11% sought treatment. Although many respondents (42%) said they understand that mild hearing loss can impact daily functioning, 56% said it is unlikely that they would seek treatment unless they had “severe” symptoms.

The findings, taken in tandem, “reveal an overwhelming disconnect between the high value that Americans say they place on their hearing and their low willingness to be treated for any hearing loss,” ASHA said in a press release.

Bria Collins

Bria Collins, AuD, CCC-A, ASHA’s associate director of audiology professional practices, told Healio Primary Care that patients may wait an average of 7 years before reporting hearing loss to their physician.

“Physicians and medical professionals can assist in reducing the time it takes to identify a patient with hearing loss by asking probing questions, such as ‘Do you have trouble hearing family members?’ or ‘Do you experience ringing in your ears?’ she said.

If patients answer “yes” to either question, Collins recommended referring them to an audiologist.

Many causes of hearing loss are preventable, “such as meningitis, rubella, ear infections, exposure to loud sounds in recreational or occupational settings and use of ototoxic medicines,” Shelly Chadha, MBBS, MS, PhD, WHO’s technical officer for prevention of deafness and hearing loss, told Healio Primary Care. She said that “timely and appropriate intervention is the key to successful outcomes among people with hearing loss.”

Shelly Chadha

“When it is unaddressed, hearing loss has a huge impact on communication, speech and language development in children,” Chadha said. “In adults, unaddressed hearing loss is associated with cognitive decline, depression, social exclusion and dementia.”

Below, find 10 Healio articles that discuss the latest research and recommendations on hearing loss.

WHO: Nearly one in four worldwide will have some hearing loss by 2050

WHO’s inaugural World Report on Hearing estimates that about one in four people — or about 2.5 billion — worldwide will have some type of hearing loss by 2050. Read more.

CDC: Hearing loss a significant health issue; PCPs play important role in prevention, treatment

Investigators found that noise-induced hearing damage was present in one in four adults who reported excellent-to-good hearing. In addition, one-third of adults who reported job-related noise exposure had hearing damage, as did 20% of adults who reported not being exposed to job-related noise. Read more.

Almost 75% of teens report exposure to loud sounds at school

Nearly three in four American teenagers reported exposure to loud sounds at school for more than 15 minutes per day, according to results published in MMWR. Read more.

USPSTF: Insufficient evidence to recommend screening older adults for hearing loss

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force announced that the “balance of benefits and harms cannot be determined” in screening asymptomatic adults older than 50 years for hearing loss. Read more.

EHR alert significantly increases audiologist referrals among older adults

An electronic health record alert that reminded clinicians to ask patients aged older than 55 years about their hearing significantly increased the number referrals to an audiologist, data show. Read more.

Audiometry screening after self-reported hearing loss improves assessments

Combining self-reported hearing loss with pure tone audiometry screening results produced greater accuracy in detecting hearing loss vs. self-reported tests alone, according to findings published in the Journal of Primary Care & Community Health. Read more.

Q&A: Tinnitus worsening amid pandemic in patients with, without COVID-19

Tinnitus appears to be worsening in patients during the COVID-19 pandemic, including those who were and were not infected with the novel coronavirus, according to research published in Frontiers in Public Health. Read more.

Hearing loss in diabetes often remains undiscussed

Susan Weiner, MS, RDN, CDN, CDCES, FADCES, spoke with the director of practice and content development at the Association of Diabetes Care & Education Specialists, Joanne Rinker, MS, RDN, CDCES, LDN, FADCES, about the need to identify and manage hearing loss in diabetes care. Read more.

Opioid-associated hearing loss rare, but should be considered when prescribing

Opioid-associated ototoxicity, or hearing loss, appears to be an adverse event that can occur with the use of a variety of opioids, according to research published in the Journal of Medical Toxicology. Read more,

Severe hearing loss associated with neurocognitive deficits in childhood cancer survivors

Severe hearing loss among survivors of childhood cancer appeared to be associated with neurocognitive deficits independent of the neurotoxic therapy they received, according to results of a cross-sectional study published in JAMA Oncology. Read more.