Why Routine Baseline Hearing Tests Are Important To Overall Health
It’s common for people to schedule routine dental cleanings, physical exams, eye exams and other health screenings. Yet, regular baseline hearing tests are far less commonplace, despite 15% of adults or 1.9% of children having some difficulty hearing, according to the CDC.
What is a Baseline Hearing Test?
A baseline hearing test is used to determine a person’s hearing sensitivity and evaluate their speech understanding. It acts as a reference point for future hearing tests to determine changes in hearing over time.
The baseline hearing test is vital in detecting how well one hears pitches, which is important for speech understanding. Most hearing loss is treatable through amplification. The sooner hearing loss is found and treated, the easier it is to adapt to treatment.
Most infants born in the United States receive a newborn hearing screening prior to one month of age. From there, hearing professionals recommend all individuals get a baseline hearing test every 10 years starting in childhood through the age of 50. Adults over 50 should have hearing checks at least once every three years. Testing should be completed by an audiologist.
What To Expect at Your Visit
During the baseline hearing test, your audiologist will ask you several questions related to your hearing, overall health and medical history. Examples of questions include but are not limited to:
• Do you have a family history of hearing loss?
• As a child, did you have regular ear infections?
• Do you have a history of excessive noise exposure?
• What symptoms, if any, are you experiencing?
• How are hearing symptoms affecting your daily life?
After your audiologist completes their intake questions, the hearing test can begin.
Hearing tests are painless and non-invasive. They occur in a quiet, sound treated booth designed to keep out external noises. You will be asked to wear a pair of headphones or insert earphones that will deliver various sounds/words to your ears with prompts from your audiologist on how to respond.
Your results will be reviewed with you that same day upon completion of the testing. Recommendations may include but are not limited to continued monitoring of hearing if no loss is detected, an amplification consultation with an audiologist if hearing loss is present or a consultation with an ENT if an underlying medical pathology is of concern.
Impacts of Untreated Hearing Loss
Based on data from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, the impact of hearing loss isn’t only measured in decibels but also the impact it has on the patient. Since hearing loss is an individual experience, how the person copes with and perceives their hearing sensitivity is based on several factors:
• The progressive nature of the hearing loss
• Whether there is an early or late onset
• Communication demands
• Severity of the loss
• Personality of the individual
Regardless of which factors are present, hearing loss has been repeatedly linked to feelings of social isolation, anxiety, depression, frustration, fatigue and even cognitive decline. In children, hearing loss can negatively impact school performance and social acceptance.
Action Steps
Overdue for a baseline hearing test? There is no reason to delay any longer. The most important step one can take for hearing health is to get a baseline.
The Hearing Center performs baseline hearing tests by appointment in communities across Northeast Indiana and Northwest Ohio. Call (260) 426-8117 to schedule.
“Our audiologist was very kind and professional. I highly recommend ENT in Fort Wayne!” – Jim Z.