The Impact of Minimal to Mild Sensorineural Hearing Loss in Adults

Abstract

The relationship between the pure-tone audiogram and the categorization of normal hearing or a mild hearing loss fails to account for other important non-audiometric factors that impact hearing ability for approximately one-third of adults. In order to obtain a complete hearing profile of our patients who present with normal hearing or a mild hearing loss, it is necessary to consider more than simply the results of the pure-tone audiogram. Both subjective hearing handicap via questionnaire and suprathreshold auditory measures (especially in background noise) have been shown to be sensitive to deficits not captured by the pure-tone audiogram. Viable treatment options with demonstrated benefit, such as mild-gain amplification, should be considered for this population.