![]() ![]() According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 5% of global population (about 328 millions of adults) suffers from any degree of hearing loss, while among people older than 65 years of age, the prevalence of hearing loss exceeds 30%. The significance of the presbycusis problem is determined by its social importance, lack of data about its etiology, and need for clinical practice to accurately determine an impaired area of auditory system and to identify the presbycusis genesis. Numerous studies are dedicated to anatomical and functional risk factors of the presbycusis. Presbycusis is considered to be one of the forms of progressive SNHL, which is associated with age-related involutional changes of different parts of the hearing system and is presented by symmetric pure tone audiogram with flat loss toward high-frequency range (less steep than 20 dB/oct). Some researchers meant (imply under this term) age-related hearing disorders caused by involutional changes only in the cochlea, and others meant that changes involve all parts of the auditory system. Different authors sometimes interpret this term differently. Zwaardemaker was the first who has used the term “presbycusis” in 1893. It is one of the most common conditions affecting older and elderly adults. Presbycusis is a range of hearing disorders caused by an aging process (from Greek presbus “aged” and akousis “hearing”). Options of the presbycusis prophylaxis are summarized. Improvement of speech intelligibility in elderly patients with SNHL proves that plasticity of the auditory regions of the brain remains possible throughout the life. The benefits of the auditory training in the rehabilitation of HA users with low speech intelligibility were demonstrated. The algorithm of the auditory training was designed based on distinction between nonverbal and verbal stimuli of varying complexity, as well as tasks to improve memory (e.g., memorizing poetry). Improved functioning of the central auditory pathways in hearing aid (HA) users with moderate to moderately severe chronic sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) and symptoms of CAPD was shown after the auditory training with the use of two approaches (“bottom-up” and “top-down”). The possibility of improving speech intelligibility by using auditory training is considered. The authors emphasize that central auditory processing disorder (CAPD) significantly impairs speech perception in elderly people and makes difficult the rehabilitation of patients with presbycusis. The authors define the term presbycusis and discuss the prevalence of hearing loss in elderly people, its etiology, and methods of diagnostics (anamnesis, evaluation of the peripheral and central parts of the hearing system). ![]()
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