Prevalent hearing and vestibular dysfunction in rural elders

Age-related auditory and vestibular impairments are a major disability burden for older adults, yet their true scale in resource-limited rural settings is underestimated due to reliance on subjective symptom reporting. This community-based cross-sectional study enrolled 670 adults aged 55–65 in rural Taizhou, China, administering objective pure-tone audiometry, video head impulse testing and structured symptom questionnaires.

Results revealed a high sensory disease burden: 71.5% of participants had hearing loss and 8.5% had vestibular dysfunction, with frequent comorbidity. Subjective perception showed poor concordance with objective measures: 39.7% underestimated their hearing impairment severity, and self-reported dizziness had very low sensitivity for vestibular dysfunction. Notably, hearing loss—alone or paired with vertigo/tinnitus—was significantly linked to vestibular dysfunction, supporting integration of objective bimodal screening into rural primary care.

The work titled “Subjective-Objective Concordance in Hearing Loss and Vestibular Dysfunction Among Rural Older Adults”, was published on ENT Discovery (published on Jun 18, 2026).