Early on Set Presbyacusis in Gwagwalada Area Council of Federal Capital Territory, Abuja

Background: Presbyacusis is a major cause of hearing loss among seniors. The condition attracts attention following the prediction of World Health Organization that elderly population is expected to hit 1.2 billion by 2025 out of which more than 500 million of them will suffer from sensorineural hearing loss(SHL) worldwide. The studies have shown that this begins to reflect on audiograms as from the third decade, mainly in the high frequencies. Aim/objective: This study evaluated the early on-set presbyacusis at Gwagwalada Area Council of the Federal capital territory-Abuja. Method: It was a multi-stage sampling, prospective, cross-sectional study done in FCT, Abuja. Participants from age 20 years and above were recruited into the study after signing informed consent. The presumed risk factors as highlighted in the questionnaire were screened out. Results: Two hundred and two participants were recruited into the study, out of which twelve were excluded from the analysis on account of various exclusion criteria. The age range of the participants was 20 to 79 years, with an average age of 54.8 ± 5.6 years. One hundred and fourteen (60.0%) males and seventy-six (40.0%) females participated in the study. The commonly reported associated symptom was tinnitus. About 32.0% of the participants had moderate sensorineural hearing loss. However, the prevalence of presbyacusis was 28.2% for age below 65 years and 78.8% for 65 years and above. The cumulative prevalence was 54.2%. Conclusion: The study has shown that presbyacusis occur as early as the third decade of life, possibly subclinical before age 65 years. The prevalence was 28.2% before age 65 years and 78.8% from age 65 years, there was a steady increase in percentage of participants with SNHL from age 20 years, and a significant sudden increase from 65 years was observed with a sloping tracing at high frequency.