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Age-related hearing loss

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Definition:

Age-related hearing loss is the slow loss of the ability to hear high frequencies, which occurs as people get older.

Alternative Names:

Hearing loss - age related; Presbycusis

Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

Age-related hearing loss is called presbycusis. It is unknown whether a specific cause such as noise trauma leads to presbycusis, but there appears to be a genetic predisposition.

Age-related hearing loss tends to occur in families. The disorder occurs in about 25% of people aged 65 to 75 and in 70 - 80% of those over age 75.

• Review Date: 11/6/2006
• Reviewed By: Sandra W. Cohen, M.D. Private Practice specializing in geriatrics, Brooklyn, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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