MONDAY, Aug. 13 (HealthDay News) -- A U.S. government panel of
experts says there's just not enough good data to either support
or refute the need for routine screening for hearing loss in
people aged 50 or older. More research is needed to fully
evaluate the benefits and risks of routine screening, according
to new recommendations from the U.S. Preventive Services Task
Force. "Hearing loss is common in older adults, impacting 20 to
40 percent of adults over age 50 and more than 80 percent of
adults age 80 or older," stated task force member and co-vice
chair Dr. Albert Siu in a news release issued by the panel. He
added that even though doctors have a number of screening
methods for hearing loss at their disposal, "it's not clear
[from the literature] whether people who don't have symptoms, or
those who have symptoms but haven't sought evaluation of them,
will benefit from early detection and treatment of hearing
loss." One expert not connected to the panel said that while
clear evidence in favor of routine