An interactive US map by county shows where hearing loss is most common in the US… with VERY surprising results

An interactive map has revealed for the first time the US counties where hearing loss is more common, yielding surprising results.

Contrary to popular belief, this study shows that people living in rural areas are up to twice as likely to experience hearing loss as their compatriots living in urban areas.

The study estimated that in parts of rural New Mexico, Texas and Oregon, up to one in three people aged five and over suffered from the condition – which is diagnosed when a person has difficulty hearing lower sounds, such as rustling leaves and buzzing mosquitoes .

The University of Chicago researchers believe that rural Americans are more likely to be exposed to loud noises from farm equipment and weapons, which could damage their hearing.

This is despite previous research showing that up to nine in 10 city residents are at risk of hearing loss due to heavy traffic, bars and nightclubs.

They warned that overall, their research – based on data from 2015 to 2018 – showed that hearing loss is a widespread problem in the US, with older men most likely to suffer from the condition.

Studies suggest that people with the condition are more likely to be depressed and suffer from falls and cognitive decline – which is linked to their inability to hear others and small sounds clearly.

The study used a mathematical model based on hearing loss data from the CDC’s annual survey conducted from 2015 to 2018. It was compared to population estimates from 2019.

The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) interviews a nationally representative sample of 7,000 people annually about their health, including whether they suffer from hearing loss.

Dr. David Rein, a public health expert who led the study, and others wrote in the paper: ‘Our modeling results suggest that people living in rural areas are more likely to experience hearing loss.

“(This is) perhaps due to the potential noise exposure from outdoor work and recreation, such as forestry, off-road vehicles and recreational firearms.”

Hearing loss is defined as not being able to hear as well as someone with normal hearing – or sounds up to a threshold of 20 decibels or more in both ears.

Sounds of 20 decibels include hearing leaves rustling or the buzzing of a mosquito.

The condition is diagnosed through a test in which sounds and words are sent through headphones to each ear, after which the patient is told to say what he heard.

Hearing loss can be treated through the use of hearing aids, although these are often expensive (up to $3,500 per ear out of pocket), causing many patients to leave the condition untreated.

Across all 3,143 U.S. counties, the model suggested that Mora County, New Mexico, had the worst hearing loss in the country, with 31.3 percent of adults having hearing problems.

Florida’s Sumter County, a rural area outside Orlando, also ranked at the top, with 31.3 percent of adults experiencing hearing loss.

Only about 4,100 people live in Mora County, with the largest city – Wagon Mound – only having a population of 265. The area consists largely of farms.

The above image is from outside the largest settlement in Mora County, New Mexico. It is estimated that one in three adults in this area suffers from hearing loss

Sumter County, on the other hand, has a population of 135,000 – largely related to the new urbanization areas being built in the north of the county.

However, most of the area also consists of farms and agricultural land.

Broken down by state, West Virginia had the highest level of hearing loss in the country; It is estimated that 18.2 percent of residents suffer from it.

Maine was estimated to have the second highest level, at 16.2 percent, and Montana had the third highest, at 15.4 percent.

When he revealed the data, Dr. Ready for it Axios: ‘Hearing loss is a problem everywhere.

“Even if you look at places like Washington DC, where the prevalence is the lowest of any metropolitan area in the province, you’re still talking about almost 400,000 people with hearing loss.

“It’s something that affects all groups and affects all of us as we get older.”