Hello and welcome to the Zero to Finals podcast.

My name is Tom and in this episode I'm going to be talking to you about Presbycus.

And you can find written notes on this topic at zero definals.com slash presbycuses

or in the ear, nose and throat section of the zero definals surgery book.

So let's get straight into it.

Presbycuses is described as age-related hearing loss.

It's a type of sensory neural hearing loss that occurs in people as they get older.

It tends to affect high-pitched sounds first and more markedly than

lower-pitched sounds. The hearing loss occurs gradually and symmetrically, affecting both ears

equally. The causes of hearing loss in presbycusis are complex. There's likely to be several different mechanisms

causing the hearing loss, and these include a loss of the hair cells in the cochlea, loss of the

neurons in the cochlea, atrophy of something called the striar vascularis, which is important

in regulating the endolymph, and also reduced endolymphatic

potential. Let's talk about risk factors. Probably the main risk factor is age, and as the age

increases, so does the risk of presbycusis. Other risk factors are male gender, family history of

presbycusis, loud noise exposure during the lifetime, diabetes, hypertension, the use of autotoxic

medications and smoking. Exposure to loud noise over time is a key risk factor that can be addressed to

potentially prevent or reduce the extent of presbycuses. Hearing protection should be worn in

environments where there's exposure to loud noises for prolonged periods in order to reduce the risk,

for example in occupations such as woodworking or construction.

Let's talk about the presentation. Hearing loss in Presbycustis is gradual and insidious. The gradual

onset may mean that patients do not notice a change in their hearing. The loss of high-pitched

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