Hearing Loss

Question: Hearing Loss? I am aware that, as we get older things get harder to hear. How and why hearing loss develops with age?

Answer: Today, one in ten or more than 28 million Americans suffers from hearing loss. By the year 2030, this number is expected to nearly double. The main cause of hearing loss for most people middle-aged or older is wear and tear. We are living longer, and advancing age is a big factor. As we age damage to the ear increases slowly. Over time, there is partial destruction of the hair cells in the ear from a combination of ordinary exposure to noise and noise bombardment. That bombardment is a particular risk factor for baby boomers and younger people. Loud concerts and headphones are causing problems. And let's face it, the world is just a noisier place than it was 20 or even 10 years ago. And the noisier it gets, the louder people turn up their earphones to drown out the noise. If you suspect hearing loss, you should be evaluated. If hearing loss is diagnosed, the most common solution is a hearing aid, but sometimes medical or surgical intervention is needed to improve hearing.

Question: Hearing loss? Guys today I was in my friend's infinity i30, and some girls in there too. I was in back seat and they turned up the music to full volume. It was really loud but it wasnt like hurting my ears. Although we had to talk louder to hear each other. I was in there for about 10 min, did I get hearing loss? lol thanks guys but the reason I was worred is that I DID hear some VERY faint tinnitus in my right ear but only for like 7 seconds after I got out of the car. Also, I couldn't hear what my friends were saying for a little while, this is why I'm worried :( I know but I told them to turn it down but they wouldn't. It's not like I had control of the situation...

Answer: No! do not worry just temporary hearing impairment.it should recover. you would get hearing loss if you do this on a regular bases.

Question: How much hearing loss can listening to an ipod for 1 hour at full volume cause? Would it cause permanent hearing loss? Would it cause hearing loss significant enough for you to notice it? I'm doing a report on ipods and hearing loss in teens but I can't seem to find any data on hearing loss per hour. Please Help! I only listen to my ipod about 1/5 the volume and not for long periods of time, will I experience hearing loss?

Answer: Okay the deal with ipods is that the further in your ear the earphones are the louder the sound hits your eardrum. So the ipod has brought this issue out as they are commonly used with the small earbuds. It is fine to use the small earbuds if you are not blasting the volume on the music. OSHA standards for noise exposure for workers in a factory are that the worker can be exposed to an 85 dB sound for 8 hours. So if the sound is louder they need to wear ear protection. The formula continues and you can safely listen to a 90 dB sound four 4 hours, a 95 dB sound for 2 hours etc. Some examples of how loud things are. Average conversational speech is 60 dB a dog barking is about 75 dB a piano is about 80 dB a helicoptor is about 95 dB a Lawnmower is about 100 dB So the moral of the story is. Don't let all the talk prevent you from enjoying your music. Be sensible don't use the volume all the way up. Don't listen all day long at loud volumes. Short use should be okay. Better safe than sorry so you should always wear ear protection when around a lot of noise when using power tools and mowing the lawn

Question: Whats the difference between High frequency and Low frequency hearing loss? I have hearing loss in my right ear (60%) and my army recruiter told me, if its High frequency hearing loss its a good chance that it would get Waived. I will have to go through MEPS and get cleared, But I would like to know before hand. So please be specific.

Answer: Sound occurs over a wide spectrum of frequencies. The human ear is sensitive to a frequency band withing that spectrum. Since sounds occur at different frequencies, you will not be able to hear the sounds at the high end. The frequency that dogs can hear covers a different range. That is why a dog can respond to a human voice, but also to a silent dog whistle which is too high of a frequency for humans. The most common frequency hearing loss for men is the same frequency that their wives speak.

Question: What types of environmental noises can cause hearing loss over consistent exposures? What constitutes consistent exposure? What is tinnitus? Does the sufferer refuse to do anything about it, demanding instead that everyone who speaks to them must stop mumbling? Why do you suppose there is such a stigma about having hearing loss, given that so many people suffer from it?

Answer: Consistent exposure is anything on a regualr daily basis 8 hours or more (sometimes less depending on the dB level_. Tinnitus- the ringing in your ears- can be caused but the tiny bones in your ears stretching to block loud sound to protect the ear drum and the tiny inner ear hairs(the decode frequencies). The ringing can actually come from the bones going back into place called -Temporary Threshold Shift. But- often tinnitus is mistaken for something much worse- where the tiny inner ear hairs break and dont fully break off- which causes your ears to PERMANENTLY ring at the broken frequency.(and a few other reasons listed below) Sometimes, especially in men, they don't want to except something is wrong and would rather blame it on something else. Mumbling could be percieved by a lack of definitionin frequencies which can be caused by the constant ringing- sounds like everything gets meshed together. It is hard for people who are dominant and strong to be seen as someone who is NOT superman- mortal and they can even feel as if they are immascualted but being inferior or 'sickly'- which isnt the case. Either they'll get over it and deal with it- or be driven insane by it and act out. (I edited a little so that I could clarify what I was saying, since it was beyond the comprehension of the person below me) http://depts.washington.edu/hearing/inne... : The Research and Its Implications for Restoration of Hearing in Humans This description is originally from an interview with Edwin W. Rubel, Ph.D., Virginia Merrill Bloedel Professor of Hearing Science, and Professor in the Departments of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, Physiology & Biophysics, and Psychology at the University of Washington. Dr. Rubel and his colleagues discovered hair cell regeneration in birds. Dr. Rubel has published over 200 scientific articles and edited four books on various topics related to development and plasticity of the auditory system. What Are Hair Cells and What Do They Look Like? Figure 3- This schematic drawing depicts a cross section through the human temporal bone and shows the structures in the inner ear (right-hand side of drawing) as well as the external and middle ear (left-hand side). Hair cells are the sensory receptors located within the inner ear (Figures 1,2). Microscopically, hair cells appear as if they have hairs because of tiny structures called stereocilia that extend from their surfaces. Auditory hair cells are located in the organ of Corti of the cochlea (Figures 3-6), and they are involved in detecting sounds. Auditory hair cells convert sound information into electrical signals that are sent via nerve fibers to the brain and processed. Vestibular hair cells are located in the vestibular (balance) organs of the inner ear (utricle, saccule, ampullae). They detect changes in head position and send this information to the brain via nerve fibers. This information is used to help maintain body posture, eye position and balance. Without auditory or vestibular hair cells, the energy derived from sound waves or gravity is not converted into neural signals, and hearing or balance deficits ensue. Damage to hair cells can be caused by a number of agents, including loud sound, ototoxic drugs (some antibiotics and anti-tumor drugs), disease, and processes associated with aging (Figure 7a). In humans and other mammals, hair cell damage results in permanent hearing impairments and/or balance disorders. Figure 4 - A human inner ear. The vestibular portion of the inner ear houses the vestibular end organs (utricle, saccule, ampullae) and is located on the top. The cochlea is on the bottom, and it houses the hearing organ, the organ of Corti. and http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/tinnitu... : Causes By Mayo Clinic staff CLICK TO ENLARGE Tinnitus A number of health conditions can cause or worsen tinnitus. In many cases, an exact cause is never found. A common cause of tinnitus is inner ear cell damage. Tiny, delicate hairs in your inner ear move in relation to the pressure of sound waves. This triggers ear cells to release an electrical signal through a nerve from your ear (auditory nerve) to your brain. Your brain interprets these signals as sound. If the hairs inside your inner ear are bent or broken, they can "leak" random electrical impulses to your brain, causing tinnitus. Other causes of tinnitus include other ear problems, chronic health conditions, and injuries or conditions that affect your auditory nerves or the hearing center in your brain. Common causes of tinnitus In many people, tinnitus is caused by one of these conditions: ■Age-related hearing loss. For many people hearing begins to worsen with age, usually starting around age 60. Loss of hearing can cause tinnitus. The medical term for this type of hearing loss is presbycusis. ■Exposure to loud noise. Loud noises can damage your ability to hear. Heavy equipment, chain saws and firearms are common sources of noise-related hearing loss. Portable music devices, such as MP3 players or iPods, also can cause noise-related hearing loss if played loudly for long periods. While short-term exposure, such as attending a loud concert, usually causes tinnitus that goes away, long-term exposure to loud sound can cause permanent damage. ■Earwax blockage. Earwax protects your ear canal by trapping dirt and slowing the growth of bacteria. However, when too much earwax accumulates it becomes too hard to wash away naturally (cerumenal impaction), causing tinnitus or problems with hearing. ■Changes in ear bones. Stiffening of the bones in your middle ear (otosclerosis) may affect your hearing and cause tinnitus. This condition, caused by abnormal bone growth, runs in families. Other causes of tinnitus Some causes of tinnitus are less common. These include: ■Meniere's disease, an inner ear disorder. Doctors think it's caused by abnormal inner ear fluid pressure or composition. ■Stress and depression. This is an especially common diagnosis when hearing tests are normal and no other cause of tinnitus can be identified. ■Head injuries or neck injuries. These neurological disorders affect nerves or brain function linked to hearing. Head or neck injuries generally cause tinnitus in only one ear. ■Acoustic neuroma, a noncancerous (benign) tumor. Acoustic neuromas develop on the cranial nerve, which runs from your brain to your inner ear and controls balance and hearing. This condition is also called vestibular schwannoma. It generally causes tinnitus in only one ear. Blood vessel disorders linked to tinnitus In rare cases, tinnitus is caused by a blood vessel disorder. This type of tinnitus is called pulsatile tinnitus. Causes include: ■Head and neck tumors. A tumor that presses on blood vessels in your head or neck (vascular neoplasm) can cause tinnitus and other symptoms. ■Atherosclerosis. With age and buildup of cholesterol and other fatty deposits, major blood vessels close to your middle and inner ear lose some of their elasticity — the ability to flex or expand slightly with each heartbeat. That causes blood flow to become more forceful and sometimes more turbulent, making it easier for your ear to detect the beats. You can generally hear this type of tinnitus in both ears. ■High blood pressure. Hypertension and factors that increase blood pressure, such as stress, alcohol and caffeine, can make tinnitus more noticeable. Repositioning your head usually causes the sound to disappear. ■Turbulent blood flow. Narrowing or kinking in a neck artery (carotid artery) or vein in your neck (jugular vein) can cause turbulent blood flow, leading to tinnitus. ■Malformation of capillaries. A condition called arteriovenous malformation (AVM), which occurs in the connections between arteries and veins, can result in tinnitus. This type of tinnitus generally occurs in only one ear. Medications that can cause tinnitus A number of medications may cause or worsen tinnitus. Generally, the higher the dose of medication you take, the worse tinnitus becomes. Often the unwanted noise disappears when you stop using these drugs. Medications known to cause or worsen tinnitus include: ■Antibiotics, including chloramphenicol, erythromycin, tetracycline, vancomycin and bleomycin. ■Cancer medications, including mechlorethamine and vincristine. ■Diuretics — water pills — such as bumetanide, ethacrynic acid, furosemide. ■Quinine medications used for malaria or other health conditions. ■Chloroquine, a malaria medication. ■Aspirin taken in uncommonly high doses (12 or more per day) may cause tinnitus.

Question: What is the best hearing aid for a profound hearing loss? I want a hearing aid which really works for a profound hearing loss no matter how expensive it is. please help me.

Answer: Absolutely the best, if you are evaluated as an appropriate subject, is the cochlear implant. You need to read up on it, and it is a surgical implant, but it is what they use nowadays for even little children with profound hearing loss. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cochlear_implant

Question: How do you discourage fecal smearing in children with hearing loss? My son is almost 4, we adopted him when he was 1, he started smearing his feces after a nap. He is developmentally delayed and we recently found out he has significant hearing loss. I know since he has been with us he has had no abuse and prior to being adopted was in the hospital due to prematurity and had little nurturing. Is this going to dicipate on its own with patience and training or does he need to see a specialist?

Answer: I'm a little puzzled. Whether he has some hearing loss or not and whether or not he is developmentally delayed really shouldn't be an issue as long as he can process instructions. Tell him that what he is doing is nasty, that you are not going to accept or tolerate it, and that it is to stop immediately. Give him a stuffed toy or something so he'll feel more comfortable, but explain to him that this is not allowed. If he does it again, punish him just as you would for any other act of defiance. Don't let him get away with not obeying you. You're going to have to realize that just because this child has had some problems, that does not exempt him from needing the guidance and discipline of his parents. A hearing loss is not an excuse for not minding. Tell him what you expect of him, be firm about it, and let the consequences teach him if he disregards what you are telling him.

Question: How can doctors determine if your hearing loss is due to listening to loud music? Nerve damage hearing loss that cannot be restored.

Answer: Hi friend, Doctors especially audiologist's have modern equipments to check your ear. There are so many hearing Clinics but you have to choose the best clinic. You can visit http://www.aidright.com to know more about various audiologist and hearing aids.