[Hearing test results of 18- to 20-year old men preceding military conscription from 2008-2010].

OBJECTIVE

High-frequency hearing loss is known to increase with age, whereas the amount and rate of increase of hearing loss in younger people is still unclear. A large proportion of young age groups is expected to preserve normal hearing. Therefore, the requirements for screening methods are particularly high and the motivation to participate is low. The obligatory examinations preceding military conscription include a pure-tone audiogram and thus allow the analysis of the hearing status of young male adults.

MATERIAL AND

METHODS

The prevalence of hearing impairment was determined using air-conduction thresholds of 18- to 20-year old men, from 54 German registration offices (KWEA), measured in 2008 to 2010. The criterion was based on candidates exceeding a threshold of 20 dB HL for one of the frequencies 3, 4, or 6 kHz in at least one ear. This very strict criterion was compared to other definitions of hearing impairment.

RESULTS

The prevalence of hearing impairment was, on average, 15.3 % and thus in the same range as in other studies. However, the results of single KWEA differed by up to a factor of 10.

CONCLUSIONS

Due to high fluctuations in measurement quality in the KWEA, regional differences in hearing thresholds of young men are not resolvable and it remains unclear whether the hearing loss has increased in comparison to earlier studies. The high variability of measurements near thresholds requires permanent quality inspections. However, hearing thresholds derived from screening cannot be evaluated applying the same criteria as for hearing tests in audiological centers or studies.