Presbycusis refers to which condition?

Presbycusis refers to which condition?

• A. Age related hearing loss (presbycusis)
• B. Sudden deafness due to infection
• C. Noise-induced hearing loss
• D. Meniere disease

Answer: (A)

Presbycusis is age-related hearing loss, a gradual, bilateral sensorineural decline tied to aging in the inner ear and auditory pathways. It typically starts with a loss of high-frequency sounds, so understanding speech—especially consonants—becomes harder, particularly in background noise. Over years it progresses and is common in older adults, reflecting changes like loss of cochlear hair cells and vascular changes in the inner ear. This differs from sudden deafness due to infection, which is rapid-onset; noise-induced hearing loss, which results from long-term loud noise exposure and often shows a characteristic notch in the audiogram; and Meniere disease, which brings episodic vertigo with fluctuating hearing loss and tinnitus. So the described condition is age-related hearing loss.

Presbycusis is age-related hearing loss, a gradual, bilateral sensorineural decline tied to aging in the inner ear and auditory pathways. It typically starts with a loss of high-frequency sounds, so understanding speech—especially consonants—becomes harder, particularly in background noise. Over years it progresses and is common in older adults, reflecting changes like loss of cochlear hair cells and vascular changes in the inner ear. This differs from sudden deafness due to infection, which is rapid-onset; noise-induced hearing loss, which results from long-term loud noise exposure and often shows a characteristic notch in the audiogram; and Meniere disease, which brings episodic vertigo with fluctuating hearing loss and tinnitus. So the described condition is age-related hearing loss.