title: [Prevalence of hearing impairment in northwestern Germany. Results of an epidemiological study on hearing status (HÖRSTAT)].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A pure-tone average of 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 kHz in the better ear (PTA-4) is the international standard criterion set by the World Health Organization (WHO) to describe hearing loss. Presently, there are no epidemiological data on hearing loss in Germany based on this criterion.
  
  
  METHODS
  A representative sample of adults from Oldenburg and Emden were invited for a hearing assessment. This article analyzes the association between hearing loss and age, sex, noise, occupation, and educational level. Age- and sex-specific prevalence rates following the WHO classification are compared with international findings.
  
  
  RESULTS
  According to the WHO classification, the prevalence of hearing impairment in the study cohort (n=1,866) is approx. 16%. In men, who more commonly work in noisy jobs, a higher prevalence rate is observed than in women of the same age. Nevertheless, sex differences in the present study are smaller than those reported in most international studies. PTA-4 is approximately the same for men and women when effects of occupational noise are controlled, but differences in prevalence between occupational areas are still significant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Compared with international findings, age-specific prevalence rates in HÖRSTAT are low. In the synopsis of epidemiological studies of the past 25 years, a trend toward decreasing prevalence in middle and higher age groups can be observed.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Hörtechnik und Audiologie, Jade Hochschule und Exzellenzcluster Hearing4All, Ofener Str. 16/19, 26121, Oldenburg, Deutschland, petra.vongablenz@jade-hs.de.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: von Gablenz
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Holube
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001301:Audiometry, Pure-Tone / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004522:Educational Status; D004651:Employment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D034381:Hearing Loss / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D038622:Internationality; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009623:Noise, Occupational / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D017678:Sex Distribution; D055815:Young Adult