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Hearing Statistics
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Hearing deteriorates with age, especially in those areas where understanding of speech is located, therefore while having the impression of not being deaf, more and more of the conversation is lost and communicating with people gradually becomes more difficult.
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According to the latest scientific statistics, the percentage of the population with hearing problems is about 10%: a considerable figure which would mean about 70 million people in Europe and 30 million in North America while, at a global level, this would reach the incredible total of 500 million people.
A hearing deficit is a problem that mainly affects elderly people because it is often a result of the natural process of ageing and deterioration of the hearing apparatus; over half of those affected, in fact, are over 65.
Recent developments, however, indicate a high incidence of problems related to health factors in developing countries, while, in industrialised countries there is an increase in hearing loss among younger people because of the increasing incidence of an excessive noise pollution.
Statistics indicate that only one out of five people who need a hearing aid actually uses one. This strong resistance among patients is linked to certain traditional and almost 'historical' fears, of a psychological nature, such as the fear of the social stigma and prejudice connected to deafness and the use of hearing aids, which are perceived as not very effective and difficult to use.
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