Presbycusis: From Current Knowledge to Future Treatment Prospects

Presbycusis is the progressive sensorineural hearing loss during aging and is one of the most common chronic diseases of the elderly. Due to slow progress and high prevalence, it is usually underestimated. Collaboration of environmental factor and susceptibility genes by inducing cochlear cell death is responsible for it. These cells lose the ability of regeneration, so presbycusis is irreversible and doesn’t have a treatment. Presbycusis slowly affects communication skills, so may lead to dependency, isolation, and frustration and will reduce quality of life of patients and those surrounding them. It has a great social and economic impact on public health. Focus on new biomedical approaches such as cell and gene therapy and regenerative medicine created new hope for treatment. Because of the growing elderly population, the prevalence of presbycusis will raise higher. Right now we should make a decision to deal with this growing population. It’s the only way to increase the quality of life of future elderly and also lead to economic savings and promoting ear health. Here we review the different aspect of presbycusis from risk factors to future treatment view. With the aim of highlighting the importance of disease and demonstrating the need for research on intracellular mechanisms of presbycusis in order to finding early diagnosis, effective intervention and treatment.