Preshycusis among older Chinese people in Taipei, Taiwan: A community-based study

The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence and severity of presbycusis in older Chinese people in Taipei, Taiwan. Pure-tone audiometry and a questionnaire were administered to a randomly-recruited cohort of people > 65 years old (n=1221) from a community in Taipei. The study cohort showed pure-tone thresholds worsening, especially at frequencies > 2 kHz, with increasing age. The mean pure-tone average at speech frequencies (0.5, 1, and 2 kHz) of the better ear of subjects stratified by five-year age groups ranged from 34.9 dB hearing level (HL) to 46.4 dB HL. The pure-tone average at speech frequency in women was slightly higher than that in men in all age groups. The prevalence of presbycusis (M3 >= 55 dBHL) was 1.6% (65 - 69 years), 3.2% (70 - 74 years), 7.5% (75 - 79 years), and 14.9% (>= 80 years). Persistent tinnitus was present in 13.9% of subjects, and 18.8% of subjects had a history of vertigo. Of subjects with a clinically evident hearing impairment (M3 >= 55 dBHL), 18.4% used hearing aids. These data provide estimates of the prevalence and severity of presbycusis in community-dwelling older persons in Taiwan.