According to a study conducted by John Hopkins University, men are five and a half times more likely than women to develop hearing loss as they age, starting as young as 20. Out of the 28 million Americans with hearing loss, over 60% of them are men.
Experts say that this difference in hearing is due to environmental factors, as men are more likely to suffer from noise-induced hearing loss in the workplace. Men are also less likely to wear hearing protection in noisy situations.
A study published by the American Journal of Medicine also found that regular use of aspirin, acetaminophen and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs increased the risk of hearing loss in adult men younger than 60.
After the age of 80, the prevalence of hearing loss in men and women evens out. That being said, there are still notable differences between the two sexes in regard to how they are affected by hearing loss. Women lose hearing in the lower frequencies first, meaning they have more trouble understanding vowels. Men, on the other hand, lose hearing in the higher frequencies, meaning they have more problems understanding consonants.
A report by ABC News concludes, “Men are more likely to need hearing aids, but women are more likely to wear them.”
References:
- Healthy Hearing: ” Studies Show Men are Affected by Hearing Loss More than Women“
- ABC News: “Men Can’t Hear: Sex-Linked Sensory Differences“
2 thoughts on “How Does Hearing Loss Affect Men vs. Women?”
Thank you for sharing such a great article with us! I recently read another post 5 Things We Can Learn from Hearing Loss Research, as well as other interesting post.
I was wonder after reading 28 million Americans suffer from hearing loss & over 60% of them are men.
I look forward to read new audiology related post from you.
Regards
I totally believe that men are less likely to wear hearing aids in public. My dad never likes to wear his, even though his audiologist tells him to all the time. His audiologist tries to remind my dad that hearing is more important than pride. Thanks for the info!