At what ages does otosclerosis usually begin?

Otosclerosis typically begins in late childhood or early adulthood, with the onset of the condition generally occurring between the ages of 10 and 30.12

While the disease involves the development of a nodule of softened bone, this growth often remains small and asymptomatic, frequently going unnoticed unless discovered during a postmortem examination. In approximately 12 percent of cases, the nodule expands sufficiently to reach the oval window and immobilize the stapes, which leads to the characteristic conductive hearing loss associated with the disorder. The condition is hereditary and is observed more frequently in females than in males.21