What types of hearing loss are most common in older adults?
Presbycusis and tinnitus are two of the most common types of hearing loss in older adults. Presbycusis comes on gradually as a person ages and mostly affects people over 50. Doctors do not know why presbycusis happens, but it seems to run in families. Having presbycusis may make it hard for a person to tolerate loud sounds or to hear what others are saying. This type of hearing loss sometimes involves damage to the inner ear, which is permanent. Tinnitus, also common in older people, is the ringing, hissing, or roaring sound in the ears frequently caused by exposure to loud noise or certain medicines. Tinnitus can accompany any type of hearing loss, but it can be a sign of other important health problems, too, such as allergies and problems in the heart and blood vessels. Tinnitus can come and go, or it can stop altogether.