presbycusis
Sign in to saveAlso known as presbyacusis, age-related hearing loss
Presbycusis (also spelled presbyacusis, from Greek πρέσβυς presbys "old" + ἄκουσις akousis "hearing"), or age-related hearing loss, is the cumulative effect of aging on hearing. It is a progressive and irreversible bilateral symmetrical age-related sensorineural hearing loss resulting from degeneration of the cochlea or associated structures of the inner ear or auditory nerves. The hearing loss is most marked at higher frequencies. Hearing loss that accumulates with age but is caused by factors other than normal aging (nosocusis and sociocusis) is not presbycusis, although differentiating the
Key facts
- Medical condition (new).name
- Presbycusis
via Wikipedia infobox
Research
2,584 papers- Presbycusis.Lancet (London, England) · 2005
- Presbycusis: Pathology, Signal Pathways, and Therapeutic Strategy.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2025
- [Presbycusis].Revue medicale de Liege · 1997
- Advances in understanding of presbycusis.Journal of neuroscience research · 2020
- [Presbycusis].Acta otorhinolaryngologica Italica : organo ufficiale della Societa italiana di otorinolaringologia e chirurgia cervico-facciale · 1998
via PubMed
~14 min read
Encyclopedic overview
19 sectionsContents
- Presentation
- Causes
- Pathophysiology
- Diagnosis
- Otoscopy
- Tympanometry
- Laboratory studies
- Audiometry
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
- Treatment
- Cochlear implant
- Middle ear implants
- Management
- Neuromodulation and presbycusis
- Popular culture
- Animals
- See also
- References
- External links
Presbycusis (also spelled presbyacusis, from Greek πρέσβυς presbys "old" + ἄκουσις akousis "hearing"), or age-related hearing loss, is the cumulative effect of aging on hearing. It is a progressive and irreversible bilateral symmetrical age-related sensorineural hearing loss resulting from degeneration of the cochlea or associated structures of the inner ear or auditory nerves. The hearing loss is most marked at higher frequencies. Hearing loss that accumulates with age but is caused by factors other than normal aging (nosocusis and sociocusis) is not presbycusis, although differentiating the individual effects of distinct causes of hearing loss can be difficult.
The cause of presbycusis is a combination of genetics, cumulative environmental exposures and pathophysiological changes related to aging. At present there are no preventive measures known; treatment is by hearing aid or surgical implant.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “presbycusis” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.