What does a markedly sloping audiogram indicate?

A markedly sloping audiogram indicates that there is a significant decline in hearing sensitivity at higher frequencies, typically showing a decrease of about 15-20 decibels per octave. This pattern often suggests presbycusis, which is age-related hearing loss, or could be indicative of noise-induced hearing loss. In such cases, individuals might hear lower frequencies better than higher frequencies. Therefore, this noticeable drop in thresholds at those higher frequencies is what characterizes a markedly sloping audiogram, helping audiologists to assess and interpret the nature of a patient's hearing loss effectively.

Other patterns, like thresholds improving in higher frequencies, would imply a different type of hearing loss that is less common, while equal thresholds across all frequencies or normal or near-normal hearing thresholds would not correspond with the characteristic drop seen in a markedly sloping audiogram.