Presbycusis Treatment & Management

  • Author: Peter S Roland, MD; Chief Editor: Arlen D Meyers, MD, MBA   more...
 
Updated: Mar 11, 2010
 

Medical Care

Presbycusis is not curable, but the effects of the disease on patients’ lives can be mitigated.

  • Amplification devices: Properly fitted hearing aids may contribute to the rehabilitation of a patient with presbycusis. Older patients with arthritis in their fingers and visual difficulties need extra help in learning to use hearing aids. Patients using hearing aids may still experience difficulties with speech discrimination in noisy situations.
  • Lip reading: Lip reading may help patients with diminished speech discrimination and may help hearing aid users who have difficulty in noisy environments.
  • Assistive listening devices: These range from a simple amplification of the telephone signal to a device on the television that sends a signal across the room to a headset worn by a patient with hearing loss. The patient can amplify the sound without disturbing other people with normal hearing who are in the same room.
  • Cochlear implants: Some patients with presbycusis benefit from cochlear implants. Patients with cochlear changes and relatively intact spiral ganglia and central pathways appear to be the best candidates.

These measures are aimed at rehabilitating patients who already experience presbycusis. However, efforts are underway to develop therapies that treat the potential underlying causes of presbycusis, as well as mechanisms to actually prevent the disease altogether. With new studies showing possible genetic and nutritional causes of presbycusis, researchers are proposing treatments that address these underlying causes. For example, medications that block the production of reactive oxygen metabolites may lead to a treatment of presbycusis at the molecular level. Alternatively, a study by Derin et al showed that treatment with I-carnitine resulted in improvement in the ABR results of rats experiencing age-related hearing loss.[15] Unfortunately, most of these therapies are still in the investigational stages.

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Consultations

Rehabilitation of a patient with presbycusis takes time and patience. Specialists in the fields of otolaryngology, audiology, neurology, and psychology may all be involved.

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Diet

No well-established dietary restrictions are prescribed for patients with presbycusis. However, some researchers have recently suggested that a 30% caloric dietary restriction and the use of antioxidant dietary supplements may reduce the production of reactive oxygen metabolites that can harm the inner ear and lead to age-related hearing loss.

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Activity

No activity restrictions are prescribed for patients with presbycusis. However, patients should be warned that exposure to loud sounds can exacerbate sensorineural hearing loss.

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Contributor Information and Disclosures
Author

Peter S Roland, MD  Professor, Department of Neurological Surgery, Professor and Chairman, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Director of Clinical Center for Auditory, Vestibular and Facial Nerve Disorders, Chief of Pediatric Otology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center; Adjunct Professor of Communicative Disorders, University of Texas School of Human Development

Peter S Roland, MD is a member of the following medical societies: Alpha Omega Alpha, American Academy of Otolaryngic Allergy, American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, American Auditory Society, American Laryngological Rhinological and Otological Society, American Neurotology Society, American Otological Society, North American Skull Base Society, and Society of University Otolaryngologists-Head and Neck Surgeons

Disclosure: Alcon Labs Honoraria Speaking and teaching; GSK Honoraria Speaking and teaching; Advanced Bionics Honoraria Board membership; Cochlear Corp Honoraria Board membership; Med El Corp travel grants Consulting

Coauthor(s)

Joe Walter Kutz Jr, MD  Assistant Professor, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

Joe Walter Kutz Jr, MD is a member of the following medical societies: Alpha Omega Alpha, American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, American Neurotology Society, and Texas Medical Association

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Michelle C Marcincuk, MD  Clinical Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center; Consulting Staff, Department of Surgery, Division of Otolaryngology, Texas Health Care, PLLC

Michelle C Marcincuk, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, American Medical Association, Texas Medical Association, and Triological Society

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Specialty Editor Board

Jack A Shohet, MD  President, Shohet Ear Associates Medical Group, Inc; Associate Clinical Professor, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine

Jack A Shohet, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, American Medical Association, American Neurotology Society, American Tinnitus Association, and California Medical Association

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Francisco Talavera, PharmD, PhD  Adjunct Assistant Professor, University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Pharmacy; Editor-in-Chief, Medscape Drug Reference

Disclosure: Medscape Salary Employment

Gerard J Gianoli, MD  Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Tulane University School of Medicine; Vice President, The Ear and Balance Institute; Chief Executive Officer, Ponchartrain Surgery Center

Gerard J Gianoli, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, American College of Surgeons, American Neurotology Society, American Otological Society, Society of University Otolaryngologists-Head and Neck Surgeons, and Triological Society

Disclosure: Vesticon, Inc. None Board membership

Christopher L Slack, MD  Private Practice in Otolaryngology and Facial Plastic Surgery, Associated Coastal ENT; Medical Director, Treasure Coast Sleep Disorders

Christopher L Slack, MD is a member of the following medical societies: Alpha Omega Alpha, American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, and American Medical Association

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Chief Editor

Arlen D Meyers, MD, MBA  Professor, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of Colorado School of Medicine

Arlen D Meyers, MD, MBA is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, and American Head and Neck Society

Disclosure: Covidien Corp Consulting fee Consulting; US Tobacco Corporation Unrestricted gift Unknown; Axis Three Corporation Ownership interest Consulting; Omni Biosciences Ownership interest Consulting; Sentegra Ownership interest Board membership; Syndicom Ownership interest Consulting; Oxlo Consulting; Medvoy Ownership interest Management position; Cerescan Imaging Honoraria Consulting; GYRUS ACMI Honoraria Consulting

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