3 Facts About Hearing Loss

From being alerted by alarms and listening to the news to hearing your children laugh and share stories, hearing is one of the most important senses. Unfortunately, not everyone has the ability to hear in a clear and concise manner. Understanding how and why you are struggling to hear is important for an effective diagnosis and proper treatment.

This guide will help you understand a few essential facts regarding hearing loss so you can receive the help you need.

1. Hearing Loss Is Quite Common

Most people are surprised to learn how common hearing loss is. Recent reports showed an estimated 15 percent of American adults have some form of hearing loss.

In addition to the large percentage of adults with hearing loss, around 2 to 3 out of every 1,000 children in America are born with some type of hearing loss. While some are born with hearing loss, other children will lose their hearing at some point in their life.

If you experience hearing loss, you should never feel alone because this condition is actually quite common.

2. Causes of Hearing Loss Vary

Before you can begin treatment for your hearing loss, you need to determine the cause. As you age, your body experiences many changes. A decrease in your ability to hear is one of these changes. While surprising to learn, about 1 in 2 adults over the age of 65 have some form of hearing loss. If you are over 65 and experiencing hearing difficulties, you may have age-related hearing loss.

Other factors can create hearing loss as well. For example, children born with hearing loss may have inherited the difficulty from their parents.

Also, certain injuries and diseases can lead to hearing loss. If you have a traumatic brain injury or damage to the ear drum, you may lose your ability to hear.

Patients with Meniere's disease may have ringing in the ear, dizziness, sensitivity to loud noises, and hearing loss that comes and goes.

Diseases of the inner or middle ear can also cause hearing loss. An autoimmune disorder of the inner ear can affect your hearing while Otosclerosis affects the bones of the middle ear, reducing your ability to hear.

If you take antibiotics, diuretics, aspirin, or chemotherapy drugs, you may experience hearing loss.

Finally, exposure to loud noises can lead to hearing loss. Working in a loud factory will decrease your hearing over time, but hearing a loud explosion can cause hearing loss immediately.

3. Help For Your Hearing Loss Is Available

If your hearing loss stems from a specific disease or brain injury, treatment from a specialist may be necessary. For example, brain injuries may require surgery before a doctor can address the actual loss of your hearing. Surgery may also be a possibility if you have Otosclerosis.

If your hearing loss stems from a specific medication, consult your physician. A different type of medication that does not affect your hearing may be prescribed.

Fortunately, most people can improve their hearing loss by wearing hearing aids. Today, there are many designs of hearing aids available.

BTE, or Behind-the-Ear, hearing aids are popular for patients with a hearing loss that ranges from mild to more profound. In addition, because they are easy to remove and comfortable to wear, BTE aids are a good option for young patients.

ITE, or In-the-Ear, aids are worn inside the ear. They are effective for patients with mild to severe hearing loss.

Every patient is different, so you may require a different treatment than someone else with the same type of hearing loss. For more information, contact Accurate Hearing Technology today.