Presbycusis

Presbycusis ( " presbycusis " English presbycusis, also Presbyacusis ) is a type of hearing loss that is caused by physiological aging processes and occurs from about the fifth or sixth decade of life. Typically, there is a bilateral, symmetric, increasing hearing loss at high frequencies.

Diagnostics

The physiological age and age- pathological degenerative processes in the organ of Corti of presbycusis can not be studied directly in a patient. Raising the threshold of hearing, especially at high frequencies, which can be determined by an audiogram, is an important clue to the presence of presbycusis. Another indication is the difficult speech understanding in noise environment.

In the diagnostic separation of a pure presbycusis and hearing loss due to noise exposure is possible but very difficult. Even if accurate data on noise exposure, such as during the practice of the profession, are known, the shares can not be quantified exactly.

Essential for the diagnosis on the basis of measurement results is the definition of what is defined as " normal otologic " or unimpaired hearing. A clue for this are, for example, the appropriate definition of the standard DIN EN ISO 7029th

Factors

Lifetime exogenous and endogenous influences can have an impact on the development or severity of presbycusis:

• Genetic predisposition
• Nutrition
• Diabetes mellitus
• Circulatory disorders
• Ototoxic drugs
• Arterial hypertension
• Noise

Needs that older age do not coincide necessarily with hearing loss, illustrate scientific studies of ethnology: Thus, the hearing of older African herders who in their environment were exposed to in their lifetime hardly high sound pressure levels, hardly sensitivity losses. Hearing loss in old age thus can be applied to an intensive environmental impact of hearing traced and the term " presbycusis " is thus rather undifferentiated and, strictly speaking, wrong. A recent reanalysis of historical data for hearing Sudanese pastors can, however, doubt whether the hearing of this nature-oriented people in old age is actually much better.

Therapy

As a form of therapy currently are only hearing aid in question.

A drug treatment is not possible, but there are some cases, various approaches discussed, to reduce also the progression of the disease.

It is sought in the research for ways to find opportunities for the regeneration of hair cells. It is not currently possible to predict whether and when it will actually be possible.