title: Otoacoustic emissions, pure-tone audiometry, and self-reported hearing.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the study was to describe the association between otoacoustic emissions (OAEs), pure-tone thresholds, and self-reported hearing disability.
  
  
  METHODS
  A population-based cohort of 4202 adults was examined with air conduction pure-tone audiometry, transient OAE (TEOAE), and distortion product OAE (DPOAE). Participants completed 15 self-report items on hearing disability.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Correlation coefficients in the range of 0.3 to 0.5 were observed between OAE (TEOAE, and DPOAE) and self-reported hearing depending on age and sex. Pure-tone average hearing thresholds generally predicted self-reported hearing slightly better than did the OAE measures. Adding TEOAE and DPOAE as predictors in a multivariate model together with the scores from pure-tone audiometry did not predict self-reported hearing better than did pure-tone audiometry alone. The relationship between OAE and self-reported hearing was stronger in men than in women and became more manifest with age, a trend also stronger in men.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  OAEs were shown to be a valid measure of self-reported hearing disability of the general population but added no additional information to what pure-tone hearing thresholds had already captured.
authors.affiliation: Division of Mental Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway. bo.engdahl@fhi.no
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Engdahl
authors.forename: Kristian
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tambs
authors.forename: Howard J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Hoffman
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001301:Audiometry, Pure-Tone; D001309:Auditory Threshold; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006309:Hearing; D006311:Hearing Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D017084:Otoacoustic Emissions, Spontaneous; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D025341:Principal Component Analysis; D057566:Self Report; D012737:Sex Factors; D055815:Young Adult