•Prevalence of Hearing Loss (Lin et al, 2011)

–Ages 60-69   26.8%

–Ages 70-79   55.1%

–Ages 80+   79.1%

•Diabetes (30% higher rate of hearing loss in pre-diabetic patients)

•Smoking (almost twice as likely to have hearing loss)

•Dementia & Alzheimer’s Disease (complicates treatment and diagnosis, numerous comorbidities)

•Sleep Apnea (decreased blood oxygen inside inner ear)

•History of High Intensity Sound or Noise Exposure (causes cell death/damage)

•Ototoxic Side Effects of Medication or Chemotherapy