Hypoacusis is a common complaint among young and older patients. This common symptom addressed in general medicine is often but not always due to a benign disease; sometimes, life-threatening emergencies occur and must be recognised. Moreover, hypoacusis is known to lead to social isolation and nervous breakdown among old people, and to slow down speech learning among children. Unfortunately, the general practitioner is not tooled to assess accurately the hard-of-hearing patient, but

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... s, he can get easily a first differential diagnosis. First of all, comprehensive history and clinical exam can be quickly carried out. In particular cases, specialised investigations and ENT consultations are indicated. That is why this article is built to answer basic questions to frequent clinical problems involving a reduced audition, and to suggest first-line recommendations.