overview
Hearing loss that gradually occurs with age (presbycusis) is common. About a third of 65 to 75 year olds in the United States have some degree of hearing loss. For those over 75, that number is roughly 1 to 2.
Hearing loss is defined as one of three types:
- Conductive (affects the outer or middle ear)
- Sensorineural (affects the inner ear)
- Mixed (combination of both). Noise-related hearing loss Treatment in Hyderabad
symptoms
The signs and symptoms of hearing loss can include:
- Choking on speech and other noises
- Difficulty understanding words, especially in background noise or in a crowd
- Difficulty hearing consonants
- Frequently ask others to speak more slowly, clearly, and louder
- The volume of the TV or radio must be increased
- Withdrawal from conversations
- Avoidance of certain social contexts
The reasons
To understand how hearing loss occurs, it can be helpful to first understand how you hear.
- How do you hear
- In your ear
- Middle Ear Open Pop-up Dialog
- Your ear is made up of three main areas: the outer ear, the middle ear, and the inner ear. Sound waves pass through the outer ear and cause vibrations in the eardrum. The eardrum and three small bones in the middle ear amplify the vibrations as they travel to the inner ear. There, vibrations occur in a spiral structure in the inner ear (cochlea) through the fluid.
Thousands of tiny hairs are attached to nerve cells in the cochlea that help convert sound vibrations into electrical signals that are transmitted to your brain. Your brain converts these signals into sounds.
Risk factors
Factors that can damage or lose hair and nerve cells in the inner ear include:
- Aging. The degeneration of the structures of the inner ear occurs over time.
- Loud noise. Exposure to loud noises can damage the cells in your inner ear. Damage can be caused by long-term exposure to loud noises or a brief burst of noise, such as B. by a shot.
- Inheritance. Your genetic makeup can make you more susceptible to hearing damage from noise or deterioration from aging.
- Professional sounds. Jobs where noise is an integral part of the work environment, such as farming, construction, or factory work, can damage the inside of the ear.
- Leisure sounds. Exposure to explosive noises, such as B. from firearms and jet engines, can lead to immediate and permanent hearing loss. Other leisure activities with dangerously high noise levels include snowmobiling, motorcycling, carpentry work or listening to loud music. Noise-related hearing loss Treatment in Hyderabad
Complications
Hearing loss can have a significant impact on the quality of your life. Older people with hearing loss may report feelings of depression. Because hearing loss can make it difficult to speak, some people feel isolated. Hearing loss is also linked to cognitive impairment and decline.
The mechanism of interaction between hearing loss, cognitive impairment, depression and isolation is being actively studied. Early research suggests that treating hearing loss can have positive effects on cognitive performance, especially memory.
preventions
Here are some steps you can take to prevent noise-related hearing loss and keep age-related hearing loss from getting worse:
- Protect your ears. Limiting the duration and intensity of your noise exposure is the best protection. In the workplace, plastic earplugs or glycerin-filled earmuffs can help protect your ears from harmful noise.
- Get your hearing tested. Consider regular hearing tests if you work in a noisy environment. If you have lost some hearing, there are steps you can take to prevent further loss.
- Avoid recovery risks. Activities like snowmobiling, hunting, using power tools, or listening to rock concerts can damage your hearing over time. Wearing hearing protection or reducing noise can protect your ears. Turning down the volume of the music also helps. Noise-related hearing loss Treatment in Hyderabad