title: [Comparison between classification criteria of audiometric findings in elderly].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the audiological results of elderly subjects based on the classifications according to the criteria of Davis and Silverman and of the recommendation 02/1 of the Bureau Internacional d'Audiophonologie (BIAP).
  
  
  METHODS
  The records of 140 elderly subjects, 79 female and 61 male, with average age of 69.75 years, were analyzed. Data regarding their clinical history and the results from pure tone audiometry were gathered, and occurrences were classified according to: type of hearing loss; audiometric curve; affected ear; and degree of hearing loss, according to the purposes of Davis and Silverman and the recommendation 02/1 of the BIAP. Data were statistically analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The most frequent audiological complaints were tinnitus, itchiness, dizziness and otalgia. There were reports of noise exposition. Regarding the audiometric configuration, 105 ears showed descending curve, 88 had horizontal curve, and 24 presented normal curve configuration bilaterally. Fifty seven of the individuals with hearing loss were male and 59 were female, corresponding to 93.44% of the total number of male subjects and 74.68% of the female subjects. Mild and moderate sensorineural hearing losses were predominant, with little prevalence difference according to each of the classifications. The degree of hearing loss was worse and there were lesser cases of normal hearing when the BIAP classification was considered. The classification proposed by Davis and Silverman identified 99 cases of normal hearing, while the BIAP classification identified only 66 cases.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The classification criteria suggested by Davis and Silverman and by the BIAP recommendation presented similar results. However, the BIAP criteria are more sensible to detect hearing loss in elderly subjects.
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-graduação (Mestrado) em Educação Especial, Universidade Federal de São Carlos – UFSCar – São Carlos (SP), Brasil. jackie.tenorio@yahoo.com.br
authors.forename: Jacqueline Pimentel
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Tenório
authors.forename: João Alfredo Tenório Lins
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Guimarães
authors.forename: Nayyara Glícia Calheiros
authors.initials: NG
authors.lastname: Flores
authors.forename: Maria Cecilia Martinelli
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Iório
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001301:Audiometry, Pure-Tone; D001309:Auditory Threshold; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011304:Presbycusis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012737:Sex Factors