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Abstract
During a 20-year period, half a million screening audiograms have been obtained on children at schools in Stockholm. The incidence of hearing loss in children of a particular age did not differ appreciably over the 14-year period analysed. In the age groups from 4 to 16, the incidence of temporary conductive hearing impairment decreased with age, whereas the incidence of permanent defects and particularly sensorineural high-frequency loss showed an increase with age.
For conductive hearing impairments there was no sex difference but for sensorineural defects there was a definite prepoderance of boys which was observed as early as 7 years of age.
The results of this general survey of the total material are supplemented and verified by the findings recorded in a more thorough examination at schools in Stockholm of all 13-year-old children born in 1948. The discussion of the results leads to the opinion that high-frequency loss in children would seem to be to a large extent of genetic origin.