Hearing loss makes it impossible or difficult to hear speech and sounds. According to recent research, one in five people have a form of hearing loss. Most individuals with it usually experience a drop in confidence and self-esteem due to their impaired capability to communicate with others.
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Causes of Hearing Loss
A loud sound normally results in hearing loss. At times, this exposure can be short-term and sudden. Attending a concert with loud music and being near a gun blast may damage your hearing ability.
Long-term exposure to noise affects a lot of professions, military members, farmers, musicians, and construction workers being at a greater risk. Apart from long exposure to loud sounds, other risk factors are:
- Certain syndromes
- Drugs and medications
- Solvents
- Aging
- Family history
Types
It comes in different forms. It may range from mild loss, in which an individual misses a high-pitched sound, like the voice of kids and women, to total hearing loss. Three basic forms of it include mixed, sensorineural, and conductive.
Symptoms
The symptoms might differ depending on the type, degree, and cause of it. For individuals with an age-related hearing problem, it’s natural to experience high-frequency hearing loss. For instance, a higher-pitched sound, like a bird chirping and women’s voices, can be difficult to hear.
However, in general, individuals who experience it can experience difficulty in understanding daily conversation and get tinnitus characterized by:
- Buzzing
- Ringing
Complications
It might have an impact on the quality of life. An older adult with it can report being depressed.
Since hearing might make a conversation challenging, some individuals can also experience feelings of being isolated.
Prevention
By visiting https://peterbyrom.co.uk/, you will realize that most of the causes, which result in hearing loss can be prevented through clinical inventions and public health strategies.
Preventing it is important throughout the course of life, ranging from the perinatal and prenatal period to older age.
In kids, 60% of this hearing problem is because of avoidable causes, which you can prevent through some measures. Similarly, many common causes of this condition, like ototoxic medicines and loud noise, are preventable in adults. Some of the effective strategies you can use to reduce the risks of hearing loss at all phases of life include:
- Genetic counseling
- Immunization
- Safe listening
- Hearing
- Management and identification of ear problems
Diagnosis
If you suspect that there is something wrong with your hearing, ensure you see a doctor. Your doctor can talk to you and ask a few questions concerning the symptoms of hearing loss, including when they began and whether you feel pain.
Your doctor may also use an otoscope to conduct a physical examination to detect collapsed eardrums, blockage, infection, and earwax accumulation.
Final Thoughts!
It is one of the natural parts of aging for most individuals. However, too much exposure to loud sources may as well damage your auditory nerve or inner ear permanently.
To keep your ears in good condition and handle hearing loss, be sure to consult an audiologist, have regular tests, wear an earplug around loud sounds, and keep the headphone’s volume below 60%.
