Historically, presbycusis (high-frequency hearing loss known to occur in older adults) was believed to occur in older than 50 years. A new article speculates that presbycusis can occur in much younger adults. Arvin et al., (2013) examined healthy adults who self-reported no hearing difficulties between the ages of 20-49. Usually, when one visits the audiologist, hearing is tested at 200-8,000 Hertz. This study examined hearing between 200-16,000 Hertz to detect changes in the higher frequencies.

Eighty participants (37% Malays, 26% Chinese, 29% Indians, 8% other) were grouped by age (20-29, 30-39, and 40-49) and the presence of symmetrical high-frequency sensorineural hearing loss was noted. Any participant with a hearing loss of >20 decibels was considered to have a hearing loss. Anyone with a > 15-decibel difference in hearing loss between ears was considered to have an asymmetrical hearing loss. 

In total 40% of participants had high-frequency sensorineural hearing loss, 7 were from age group 20-29, 12 were from age group 30-39, and 13 were from age group 40-49. All participants from the age group 40-49 had symmetrical age-related sensorineural hearing loss. Researchers have believed that presbycusis begins in a patient’s 50’s, with over 75% of those over 50 experiencing this type of hearing loss. The exact cause of presbycusis is unknown, but it is believed to be caused by a multitude of exposures or conditions. This study found that higher frequency hearing loss (greater than 8 Kilohertz) may begin at a much earlier age.

Arvin, B., Prepageran, N., & Raman, R. (2013). “High-frequency presbycusis”-is there an earlier onset? Indian Journal of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery: Official Publication of the Association of Otolaryngologists of India, 65(Suppl 3), 480–484. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12070-011-0356-x