Challenges and opportunities in presbycusis

Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2011 Apr;144(4):491-5. doi: 10.1177/0194599810395079. Epub 2011 Feb 10.

Abstract

The population aged 65 years and older is increasing at a faster rate than the total population, with predictions that by 2030, 20% of the population will be 65 years or older. In 2006, between 35% and 50% of those aged 65 years or older reportedly had presbycusis, a sensory impairment that contributes to social isolation and loss of autonomy and is associated with anxiety, depression, and cognitive decline. To address these concerns, the Geriatric Committee of the American Academy of Otolaryngology, in conjunction with the Hearing Committee, focused on 3 challenges and opportunities in the management of presbycusis: (1) the financial burden of caring for patients with presbycusis in the face of increasing costs and declining reimbursements; (2) future treatment options arising from improved understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying presbycusis, and (3) recognition of central presbycusis as a condition commonly superimposed on peripheral age-related hearing loss whose diagnosis and management can improve outcomes.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Aging / physiology
  • Animals
  • Antioxidants / therapeutic use
  • Auditory Diseases, Central / diagnosis
  • Cochlea / metabolism
  • Costs and Cost Analysis
  • Hearing Aids / economics
  • Humans
  • Insurance, Health, Reimbursement
  • Medicare
  • Oxidative Stress
  • Practice Management, Medical / economics
  • Presbycusis / diagnosis
  • Presbycusis / physiopathology
  • Presbycusis / prevention & control
  • Presbycusis / rehabilitation*
  • United States

Substances

  • Antioxidants