Global burden of hearing impairment and ear disease.

BACKGROUND

Hearing loss can present at birth or be acquired as a result of illness, middle-ear disease, injury, age, overuse of certain medications, and/or induced by exposure to damaging noise levels. There are serious short-term consequences for people living with hearing impairment, including the effects on language acquisition, education, employment and overall wellbeing. There are also complex long-term implications.

OBJECTIVES

This review aimed to present some of the leading causes of ear disease and hearing loss globally, and to identify their impact at both an individual and societal level.