The relationship between self-reported difficulty with hearing in the worse ear and the better ear.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the relationship of self-reported hearing difficulty with hearing in the worse ear and the better ear at 1 and 4 kHz.


METHODS
Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis in community-residing population.


METHODS
The Settsu City Health Center (Osaka, Japan).


METHODS
A total of 919 consecutive participants who were provided health check-ups.


METHODS
Comparison is based on the measurement of the area under the curve (AUC) of ROC.


RESULTS
At 1 kHz, the area under the curve (AUC) of the worse ear (0.625 +/- 0.021) was significantly larger than that of the better ear (0.570 +/- 0.021) (P < 0.01). At 4 kHz, the AUC of the worse ear (0.665 +/- 0.019) was significantly larger than that of the better ear (0.622 +/- 0.020) (P < 0.01). Excluding the subjects with noise exposure, tinnitus and ear disease, at both frequencies, the AUC of the worse ear was not significantly larger than that of the better ear at both 1 and 4 kHz. Hearing in the worse ear was significantly more related to self-reported hearing difficulty than in the better ear without excluding those with noise exposure, tinnitus and ear disease.


CONCLUSIONS
ROC curve analysis would provide a method to help us judge the difference between the worse hearing ear and the better hearing ear on the subject of hearing loss.
Okamoto
M
M
Department of Social and Environmental Medicine, Course of Social Medicine, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Yamada-oka, Suita-shi, Osaka, Japan. okamotom@pbhel.med.osaka-u.ac.jp
Nakanishi
N
N
Tatara
K
K
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006311:Hearing Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011159:Population Surveillance; D012372:ROC Curve; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012720:Severity of Illness Index