Evidence insufficient on screening for age-related hearing loss, Task Force reports

Available evidence on screening for age-related hearing loss is insufficient to recommend for or against the practice in asymptomatic adults, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) concluded this week.

In 1996, the USPSTF recommended that physicians should periodically question older adults about their hearing, counsel them about hearing aids and provide referrals when appropriate. To update this recommendation, the USPSTF reviewed studies from 1950 through January 2010 on screening for age-related hearing impairment among adults age 50 years or older who did not yet have diagnosed hearing loss.

The new recommendation was published online Aug. 14 by Annals of Internal Medicine.

Evidence on the association between screening and improved health outcomes; the accuracy of screening methods; the benefits of early detection; the effectiveness of treatment; and the harms of screening and treatment was considered. The review did not consider congenital hearing loss, conductive hearing loss, or hearing loss due to occupational exposure or acute trauma.

Since the 1996 recommendation was developed, the USPSTF said, a randomized, controlled trial showed that screening for hearing loss does not seem to benefit patients without symptoms, and more research is needed before definitive conclusions can be reached. Therefore, the USPSTF concluded that current evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of screening for hearing loss in asymptomatic adults 50 years of age and older.