Self-reported hearing difficulties and speech-in-noise test performance - what can we find behind a "normal" audiogram?
Pamela Papile Lunardelo, Laura Caetano Meneghelli, Sthella Zanchetta
PMID 38018646WHAT IT FOUND
Adults with normal hearing tests reported more difficulty understanding speech in noise as they aged, from 30 onwards.
Self-reported trouble tracking speech in background noise correlated with poorer performance on actual speech-in-noise tests, suggesting complaints may reflect real processing changes.
Key findings
01Self-reported difficulty understanding speech in noise increased with age, with significant differences between the youngest and older groups.
02Performance on the speech-in-noise test worsened with age, requiring a higher signal-to-noise ratio for older adults to understand 50% of sentences.
03There was a moderate, significant correlation between self-reported difficulty understanding speech in noise and actual poor performance on the speech-in-noise test.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
Small sample size (39 participants) limits the generalizability of the findings. The study did not control for noise exposure or ototoxic drug use, which could influence auditory processing. It could not rule out the presence of auditory processing disorder (APD) despite screening. The cross-sectional design cannot determine if the observed changes are due to aging or other factors.
Declared interests
Financial support was provided by FAPESP (process number 19/00598-0). No other conflicts of interest were declared.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that normal pure tone audiometry rules out hearing difficulties. This study shows that adults with 'normal' hearing can have significant, measurable problems understanding speech in noise, which worsens with age.