Centre for Policy on Ageing
 

 
Deafness in middle age - how big is the problem?
Author(s)M F D'Souza, L M Irwig, H T Trevelyan
Journal titleJournal of the Royal College of General Practitioners, vol 25, 1975
Pagespp 472-78
KeywordsHearing Impairment ; Quantity.
AnnotationScreening for hearing defect by questionnaire was undertaken in two group practices in South-east England for 2278 people aged 40-64 years. The prevalence of deafness in the combined populations of these two practices as measured by audiogram was found to be 5.8%. This figure is much more than estimates derived from American data for use in the UK. The prevalence of deafness was shown to increase with lower social class and age. The questionnaire was found to be unreliable for prevalence studies, but was thought to have some use as a screening instrument. There was an incidental finding of increased hearing defects in the left ears of men: the firing of rifles was felt to be a possible explanation of this. The authors suggest that with the increasing ageing population, the provision of better health care for deaf people will present a growing challenge to the National Health Service (NHS). (RH).
Accession NumberCPA-930524091 A
ClassmarkBV: 58

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