Health & Fitness Blog

All of our five senses are important, including our sense of hearing. It aids us by alerting us to the sounds of danger, happiness and sadness. For example, you hear the sound of screeching tires, your ears and sense of hearing allow you the ability to determine which direction the sound is coming from, thus allowing you to move to safety quickly. However, if you suffered from hearing loss, you would never hear those screeching tires and therefore not be able to get out of the way, resulting in injury or worse.

An extensive amount of damage incurred by the auditory system results in hearing loss. Each ear is comprised of external, inner and middle chambers. Each of these chambers contains structures needed in order for us to hear sounds. Damage can be a result of trauma, illness or infection.

In all, there are four types of hearing loss; they include conductive, sensorineural, mixed, and central hearing loss. Unfortunately, hearing loss is often mistaken for other chronic ailments such as depression and dementia. Additionally, hearing loss is quite prominent in the senior population due to the destruction of hair cells in the cochlea due to age. Once these vital hair cells have been destroyed, the body can not replace them. This means hearing loss is permanent.

Signs and Symptoms:

Constantly needing conversation to be repeated Extreme volume on the TV, radio, or other electronic device Depression Withdrawal from social activities Unable to understand speech No response to sound

Adults are less likely to recognize a hearing deficiency until severe damage has been one to the auditory system or a visit to the doctor for a completely different ailment brings the hearing loss to light. In most cases, adult hearing loss can be attributed to aging (presbycusis), tumors, and viral infections such as the flu or herpes. Once the physician has diagnosed the hearing loss, they will then need to determine the type, severity and location in the auditory system.

Hearing loss in children is most commonly caused by viral or bacterial infections such as mumps, rubella, meningitis, and multiple sclerosis.

Diagnosis and treatment:

Specialized diagnostic testing combined with a thorough physical examination will determine if hearing loss is in fact present or if some other chronic disorder is the root cause of the loss.

Surgical intervention, medications and hearing aids are all methods of treatment for hearing loss. It is important to remember that prevention is key to sustaining the precious gift of hearing. If you are exposed to excessive noise, perhaps by working in a factory with heavy machinery, protecting your ears is the best defense against hearing loss.

A licensed registered nurse and reputable writer, Barb Hicks loves to share her knowledge with others. You can find more of her articles about Hearing Loss Symptoms and Otits Externa Treatment on Clivir.com.