Global Burden of Hearing Loss: A Comprehensive Review

Abstract

Hearing loss is a significant public health issue that arises from a congenital or acquired decrease in an individual's hearing ability and is increasingly prevalent on a global scale. This study aims to evaluate the global burden of hearing loss using a comprehensive review method. The study accessed national and international sources published between January 2020 and April 2025. The literature review was conducted through PubMed, Google Scholar, and Scopus databases. The search utilized keywords such as "hearing loss," "global burden of disease," "disability-adjusted life years (DALY)," "years lived with disability (YLD)," "cost of hearing loss," "economic burden," and their Turkish equivalents. The retrieved studies were analyzed and interpreted using thematic analysis. The findings indicate that in 1990, the global number of hearing loss cases was 751.5 million, with a total DALY of 22.01 million, while by 2019, these figures had risen to 1.46 billion cases and 40.24 million DALYs, respectively. During the same period, hearing loss was found to contribute to approximately 3.91 million YLDs. YLD rates varied across age groups, with both prevalence and burden being higher in low and low-middle socio-demographic index regions. The total global economic cost of hearing loss exceeds $981 billion USD. In conclusion, the study found that the global burden of disease (GBD) due to hearing loss has increased over the years. Hearing loss ranks third globally in terms of disease burden (DALY), is more common among men and in low-income countries, and its prevalence increases with age. In this context, it is recommended to expand screening programs for older age groups and develop strategies to raise public awareness about hearing loss.

Keywords

• Hearing
• Hearing Loss
• Global Burden of Disease
• DALY
• YLD

İşitme Kaybının Küresel Hastalık Yükü: Kapsamlı Bir Derleme

Abstract

İşitme kaybı, bireyin işitme yetisinin doğuştan veya sonradan azalması sonucu ortaya çıkan ve küresel düzeyde artan önemli bir halk sağlığı sorunudur. Bu çalışma, işitme kaybının küresel hastalık yükünü kapsamlı derleme yöntemiyle değerlendirmeyi amaçlamaktadır. Çalışma da Ocak 2020- Nisan 2025 yılları arasında yayımlanmış ulusal ve uluslararası kaynaklara erişim sağlanmıştır. Literatür taraması Pubmed, Google schoolar, Scopus veri tabanları üzerinden yürütülmüştür. Taramalarda "hearing loss", "global burden of disease", "disability-adjusted life years (DALY)", "years lived with disability (YLD)", "cost of hearing loss", "economic burden”, anahtar kelimeleri ve bunların Türkçe karşılıkları kullanılmıştır. Elde edilen çalışmalar tematik analiz yöntemi ile değerlendirilmiş ve yorumlanmıştır. Elde edilen bulgular 1990 yılında küresel işitme kaybı vaka sayısı 751,5 milyon ve toplam DALY 22,01 milyon iken, 2019 yılında bu rakamlar sırasıyla 1,46 milyar vaka ve 40,24 milyon DALY’ye yükselmiştir. Aynı dönemde işitme kaybının yaklaşık 3,91 milyon YLD yükü oluşturduğu belirlenmiştir. YLD oranları yaş gruplarına göre değişiklik göstermekte olup, düşük ve düşük-orta sosyo-demografik endeks bölgelerinde hem prevalans hem de yük daha yüksek seyretmektedir. İşitme kaybının küresel ölçekte yarattığı toplam ekonomik maliyeti 981 milyar ABD dolarını aşmaktadır. Sonuç olarak yıllar itibarıyla işitme kaybının küresel hastalık yükünün (GBD) arttığı tespit edilmiştir. İşitme kaybının hastalık yükü açısından (DALY) küresel ölçekte üçüncü sırada yer aldığı; erkeklerde, düşük gelirli ülkelerde daha sık görüldüğü ve yaşla birlikte yaygınlığının arttığı belirlenmiştir. Bu kapsamda, ileri yaş gruplarına yönelik tarama programlarının yaygınlaştırılması ve işitme kaybına ilişkin toplumsal farkındalığı artırmaya yönelik stratejilerin geliştirilmesi önerilmektedir.

Keywords

• İşitme
• İşitme Kaybı
• Küresel Hastalık Yükü
• DALY
• YLD

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