Hearing Loss Up 30 Percent in American Adolescents

(Aug. 17) -- Teens might be wise to listen up when parents ask them to turn down the volume. According to a new study, American adolescents are suffering significantly more hearing loss than they were 30 years ago, and one in five now have a problem.

A team of researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital evaluated two nationally representative surveys, from 1988-1994 and 2005-2006, which included data on youth age 12 to 19.

From 1988 to 1994, about 15 percent of youth suffered some degree of hearing loss. That spiked to 19.5 percent in the more recent survey -- a 30 percent increase.

Most of the hearing loss was characterized as mild, but in this week's issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, the team warns that losses in excess of 25 dB "increased significantly," from 3.5 percent to 5.3 percent.

A history of ear infections and exposure to loud noises didn't seem to influence the rise, which contradicts earlier studies. But that might have more to do with how teens characterize volume and related side effects.

"Adolescents and young adults typically underestimate symptoms of loud sound, tinnitus and temporary hearing impairment during music exposure and underreport concern for these conditions," the study reads.

Indeed, a 2008 study in the Journal of Pediatrics concluded that teens, especially males, "expressed low personal vulnerability to music-induced hearing loss," despite admitting to ultra-loud volume preferences.

"Teenagers really underestimate how much noise they are exposed to," Dr. Josef Shargorodsky, the study's lead researcher, told Reuters. "Often the individual won't notice it, but even slight hearing loss may lead to differences in language development and learning,"