Environmental and genetic factors in age-related hearing impairment.

Age-related hearing impairment (ARHI), or presbycusis, is a complex disease with multifactorial etiology. It is the most prevalent sensory impairment in the elderly, and may have detrimental effects on their quality of life and psychological well-being. The aim of this paper is to give an overview of the current data on ARHI, focusing mainly on environmental agents and genetic predisposition in animal models and in humans. With improvement of our understanding of ARHI, treatment other than with amplification will be hopefully possible in the long term.