Effects of Physical Disorders to Hearing Loss in the Older People

In this study 874 ears of 437 persons aged 45-69 years were tested, and the mean hearing threshold of physically normal group were compared with those of group with various physical disorders such as hypertension, retinal angiosclerosis, hyperglicemia and renal or hepatic insufficiency. Average hearing threshold of physically normal group was slightly better at 8kHz than these of physically abnormal group aged 45-49 years. But in the 50-54 years old group, hearing threshold of normal group was 5 to 7dB better than pathologic one at high tones. These values were statistically significant. In the 55-59 age group, the differences of hearing threshold at high tones became little. In the 60-64 age group, the difference at high tones was also little but at low tones this was similar. At all frequencies, the differences were 5dB at 0.5kHz and 4-7dB at high tones in the 65-69 age group. The further studies in the higher age group could not be accomplished because there were few in this group physically normal persons.