[Prevalence of hearing loss in elderly individuals over 65 years of age: a pilot study in Lombardia (Italy)].

A cross sectional study was performed to determine the prevalence of hearing loss in individuals over age 65 years presenting to a medical centre in Lombardia (Italy). The aim was to assess the feasibility of performing a survey to evaluate the prevalence of hearing loss in the entire region. Audiometric testing was performed in each enrolled subject, to reveal losses in hearing levels at 250 to 8000 Hz; hearing levels were measured in decibels.