Descriptive study on the prevalence of Presbycusis among a population in the industrial belt of Barcelona by exploring a random sample of Primary Healthcare Center users

Objective. To describe the state of hearing health in people over 64 years of age, autonomous, and residents of a town in the industrial belt of Barcelona, with an emphasis on data about the prevalence of Presbycusis. Participants. We started with a randomized sample of 139 people over 64 years of age, with no hearing problems diagnosed, resulting in 82 being the number of subjects being explored, with a mean age of 72.2 years. Method. We registered the most important sociodemographic data of the sample and their state of health. Subsequently, a hearing examination took place, and a neuropsychological test was performed using the MMSE. Results. It stands out that 54.87% (27 men and 18 women) of the people explored had hearing loss in both ears. Of this percentage, 32.92% corresponded to mild hearing loss and 21.95% to moderate hearing loss. A statistically significant relationship was observed between the presence of hearing problems and cognitive impairment; although this relationship was not very conclusive [(t=-2.33); p<.05]. Conclusion. Given the high prevalence of undiagnosed hearing loss in the elderly population and the importance of its early detection, the study reveals the need to promote hearing health measures and, specifically, to facilitate the detection of these problems in the Primary Healthcare Centres themselves.