Global, Regional, and National Burdens of Hearing Loss for Children and Adolescents from 1990 to 2019: A Trend Analysis.
Kan Chen, Bo Yang, Xiaoyan Yue and 5 others
PMID 39169862WHAT IT FOUND
Global hearing loss in children dropped slightly from 1990 to 2019, but mild cases rose.
Adolescent girls aged 15-19 saw a significant increase in moderate hearing loss, driven by noise exposure and ear infections, requiring targeted prevention.
Key findings
01Global prevalence of hearing loss in children and adolescents decreased slightly from 1990 to 2019, with an average annual percentage change of -0.03%.
02Mild hearing loss prevalence increased globally with an average annual percentage change of 0.03%, while complete hearing loss declined significantly with an average annual percentage change of -0.93%.
03Moderate hearing loss prevalence and disability rates increased significantly for females aged 15-19 years, with average annual percentage changes of 0.14% and 0.13% respectively.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The analysis relies entirely on the quality and completeness of GBD data, which may be inaccurate in low and middle-income countries due to data gaps. The dataset lacked specific information on key etiologies like genetic factors, exact noise exposure levels, or drug toxicity, limiting causal understanding. Data only extends to 2019, so it does not reflect recent changes such as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on hearing health or increased screen time.
Declared interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest. No financial support was received for this research. The data was sourced from the publicly available Global Burden of Disease database maintained by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the overall global decline in hearing loss as a sign that the problem is solved for all groups. The data shows a specific and significant increase in moderate hearing loss among adolescent females aged 15-19, and an increase in mild hearing loss globally, indicating that targeted prevention for noise exposure and otitis media is still urgently needed in these demographics.