# Hearing Loss: Self‐Reported Onset and Etiology Among Older Adults in the United States

## TL;DR

This study explores when and why older U.S. adults report hearing loss, finding that aging is the most common cause.

## Contribution

The study provides new insights into the age of onset and causes of hearing loss in a nationally representative sample of older U.S. adults.

## Key findings

- 51.1% of older adults self-reported hearing loss.
- Aging was the most common cause of hearing loss, reported by 66.3% of those affected.
- The most common age of onset was 70 or older, reported by 41.7% of respondents.

## Abstract

This study investigated self‐reported age of onset and etiology of hearing loss among older adults in the United States. Study cohort included older adult (≥70 years) survey respondents from the 2017 to 2020 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (n = 797). Overall, 51.1% [95% confidence interval [CI]: 46.1‐56.1] of older adults self‐reported hearing loss. Among older adults who reported hearing loss, the most reported age of onset was age 70 or older (41.7% [95% CI: 38.1%‐45.3%]), followed by sequentially younger age brackets including ages 60 to 69 years (27.3% [95% CI: 23.6%‐31.3%]) and ages 40 to 59 years (15.7% [95% CI: 12.9%‐19.0%]). The most common etiology of hearing loss was aging (66.3% [95% CI: 60.8%‐71.4%]) followed by loud long‐term noise (30.3% [95% CI: 26.2%‐34.9%]) and loud brief noise (13.8% [95% CI: 10.3%‐18.4%]). Our study describes the most common age of onset and etiologies of hearing loss among a representative sample of United States older adults.