Diagnostics (Dec 2023)

The Benefit of Air Conduction Pure-Tone Audiometry as a Screening Method for Hearing Loss over the VAS Score

  • Aris I. Giotakis,
  • Lambros Mariolis,
  • Ioannis Koulentis,
  • Christos Mpoutris,
  • Evangelos I. Giotakis,
  • Aikaterini Apostolopoulou,
  • Efstathios Papaefstathiou

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics14010079
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 14, no. 1
p. 79

Abstract

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Hearing loss is commonly encountered by general practitioners. We aimed to evaluate the screening benefit of air conduction pure-tone audiometry over visual analogue scale (VAS) scores for hearing loss. Moreover, we intended to perform the first cross-sectional study in Greece to assess hearing loss with pure-tone audiometry in young adults of the general population. We evaluated Greeks between 15 and 40 years old in a high school in Karditsa, Greece, and a primary health care unit in a nearby community. Subjects filled out a VAS score sheet and underwent pure-tone audiometry in a room without sound isolation, with air conduction only. We named the latter procedure modified pure-tone audiometry (mPTA). Subjects with pathologic results were examined via otoscopy and standardized pure-tone audiometry (sPTA). Of the 286 subjects evaluated, the VAS score revealed 5 subjects (1.7%) with hearing loss. mPTA (100 s duration) doubled this percentage (in total 3.8%; Pearson Chi-Square test; p < 0.001). Based on sPTA, the sensitivity and positive predictive value of the VAS score were 40% and 13%, respectively. For mPTA, they were 100% and 37%, respectively. mPTA filtered out pathologic cases in a proper, rapid, cheap and simple way and may be considered a proper screening method for hearing loss in primary health care.

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