Audiologic Assessment in Adults With Down Syndrome.
Most adults with Down syndrome lose their hearing early, so yearly audiology checks are essential.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Doctors tested the hearing of 72 adults with Down syndrome.
They used standard ear exams and pure-tone audiometry.
Ages ranged from 18 to 64 years old.
What they found
Two-thirds had hearing loss.
By, nine out of ten had it.
The loss started with high-pitched sounds and got worse over time.
How this fits with other research
Yuwiler et al. (1992) saw stable memory and thinking in the same age group.
This study shows the ears age faster than the brain.
Pitchford et al. (2019) found 72% of adults with Down syndrome had gum disease.
Together, these papers paint a picture: ears, teeth, and other body systems age early, even when thinking skills stay steady.
Ahlborn et al. (2008) showed one young learners man who aged well with no dementia.
That outlier proves some adults beat the odds, but most will still need hearing checks.
Why it matters
Add a yearly audiology referral to every adult care plan.
Catching hearing loss early keeps clients engaged in therapy and daily life.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Increased life expectancy in persons with Down syndrome (DS) is associated with premature age-related changes. The aim of this study was to assess auditory function in adults with DS and to evaluate the prevalence of hearing loss in this population. Audiometric tests were performed in 72 adults with DS (mean age 37.3±10.1 years, 51.4% females). Air conduction pure tone average (PTA) thresholds at frequencies 0.5-1-2-4 kHz were calculated to assess hearing function. Hearing loss was present if the PTA threshold was > 20 dB hearing level. Higher frequencies of 4 and 8 kHz were also assessed. Hearing loss was shown in 47 (65.3%) participants. The prevalence of hearing loss increased with age, ranging from 42.86% in the 20-29 years group to 90.91% in the 50-59 years group. High frequencies (4 and 8 kHz) were more often impaired than other frequencies used to measure PTA. Thus, the study concluded hearing loss is common in adults with DS and shows a pattern compatible with precocious aging of the hearing system. Auditory evaluation is strongly recommended in adults with DS.
American journal on intellectual and developmental disabilities, 2017 · doi:10.1352/1944-7558-122.4.333