title: Prevalence and degree of hearing loss among males in Beaver Dam cohort: comparison of veterans and nonveterans.
abstract: The Epidemiology of Hearing Loss Study (EHLS) conducted in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, was a population-based study that focused on the prevalence of hearing loss among 3,753 participants between 1993 and 1995. This article reports the results of several auditory measures from 999 veteran and 590 nonveteran males 48 to 92 years of age included in the EHLS. The auditory measures included pure tone thresholds, tympanometry and acoustic reflexes, word recognition in quiet and in competing message, and the Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly-Screening (HHIE-S) version. Hearing loss in the auditory domains of pure tone thresholds, word recognition in quiet, and word recognition in competing message increased with age but were not significantly different for the veterans and nonveterans. No significant differences were found between participant groups on the HHIE-S; however, regarding hearing aid usage, mixed differences were found.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Audiology/Research Audiology (126), Mountain Home, TN 37684-4000, USA. richard.wilson2@va.gov
authors.forename: Richard H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.forename: Colleen M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Noe
authors.forename: Karen J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Cruickshanks
authors.forename: Terry L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Wiley
authors.forename: David M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Nondahl
mesh_terms: D000158:Acoustic Impedance Tests; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001301:Audiometry, Pure-Tone; D001302:Audiometry, Speech; D001309:Auditory Threshold; D015331:Cohort Studies; D006310:Hearing Aids / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D034381:Hearing Loss / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014505:Urban Population; D014728:Veterans / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014922:Wisconsin / Q000453:epidemiology