Can Extended High Frequency Thresholds Be Used To Detect Auditory Processing Difficulties In An Aging Population?

Introduction Hearing impairment can profoundly affect people’s lives. It can lead to isolation and depression, lower quality of life and deteriorating relationships, particularly for older people [1]. An emerging concern relates to a subset of older adults who present with peripherally normal hearing but complain of persistent difficulties to understand speech in acoustically challenging environments [2]. This phenomenon is often referred to as “obscure auditory dysfunction” [3-5]. However, the term “obscure” is misleading, as it is estimated that this group make up an estimated 10-15% of all audiological referrals [6].