Young crank it up, damage their ears
Cases of hearing loss noted
12:09 PM, Nov. 2, 2011, Cincinnati Enquirer
There's evidence that hearing loss is becoming more widespread. America's population is aging and, as most people age, hearing diminishes. About 40 percent of people over 65 have some degree of hearing loss.
Some 36 million people in the U.S., about 1 in 10, have some degree of hearing loss, according to the National Center for Health Statistics.
Some studies show hearing loss is becoming more prevalent among the young.
One in 5 teens has slight to mild hearing loss. The prevalence of hearing loss among ages 12 to 19 increased 30 percent - from 14.9 percent in 1988-94 to 19.5 percent in 2005-06, according to a study, published last year in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
"Everyone assumes iPods and other personal listening devices are the cause, but there is not enough data yet, so we don't know for certain," says the lead author of the study, Dr. Josef Shargorodsky, a clinician researcher at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. "One problem is that adolescents don't report well whether the music they're listening to is loud."
Circumstantial evidence is enough reason to be concerned, says Dr. Paul Kileny, director of University of Michigan's Audiology and Electrophysiology Department.
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