What is Hearing Loss?

No one likes shouting but when you shout-out loud and even post that the person is not able to listen just understand that latter is suffering from hearing loss but the matrix is not as simple as it sounds. Hearing-loss is a partial or total inability to hear and it may occur in one or both ears and then age factor also matters, in children, hearing problems can affect the ability to learn spoken language and in adults, it can create difficulties with social dealings. In some people, particularly older people, hearing loss can result in loneliness but the good news is that hearing loss can be temporary as well but not always.

The number of dynamics gathers up together to cause hearing loss– genetics, aging, exposure to noise, some infections, birth complications, trauma to the ear, and certain medications or toxins but the most common condition that results in hearing loss is chronic ear infections. Certain infections during pregnancy, such as syphilis and rubella, may also cause hearing loss in the child. Hearing loss is diagnosed when hearing testing finds that a person is unable to hear 25 decibels in at least one ear. This is the reason testing for poor hearing is recommended for all newborns.

About half of hearing loss globally is preventable through public health measures. Such practices include immunization, proper care around pregnancy, avoiding loud noise, and avoiding certain medications. The World Health Organization recommends that young people limit the use of personal audio players to an hour a day in an effort to limit exposure to noise. Early identification and support are particularly important in children. For many hearing aids, sign language, cochlear implants, and subtitles are useful. Lip reading is another useful skill some develop. Access to hearing aids, however, is limited in many areas of the world.

As of 2013 hearing loss affected about 1.1 billion people to some degree. It caused disability in 5% (360 to 538 million) and moderate to severe disability in 124 million people. Of those with moderate to severe disability 108 million live in low and middle-income countries. Of those with hearing loss, it began during childhood for 65 million.

There are mainly 3 types of hearing loss:

• Sensorineural hearing loss is the most common type of hearing loss. It is permanent and caused either by damage to tiny hair-like cells in the inner ear or to the auditory nerve. The auditory nerve carries important information about the loudness, pitch, and meaning of sounds to the brain. Most adults with hearing loss have a sensorineural loss. Sensorineural hearing loss can often result in difficulty understanding sound or speech even though it is loud enough to hear.

• Conductive hearing loss is caused by a mechanical problem in the outer or middle ear or an obstruction in the ear canal such as ear wax that blocks sound from getting to the eardrum. It can be permanent but more often, it is temporary and can be medically treated.

• Mixed hearing loss results when there are components of both sensorineural and conductive hearing loss present.

Apart from types of hearing loss, there are certain degrees to hearing loss. The degree of hearing loss refers to the seriousness of hearing loss. Hearing loss is classified as - Slight, Mild, Moderate, Moderately Severe, Severe and Profound.

• Slight Hearing Loss- The inability to hear sounds between 16 to 25 decibels is classified as slight hearing loss. Slight hearing loss means difficulty in hearing very soft sounds, such as the rustling or falling of leaves, a whisper or the dropping of a pin.

• Mild Hearing Loss- The inability to hear sounds between 26 to 40 decibels is classified as mild hearing loss. Mild hearing loss means difficulty in understanding conversation that is soft, such as whispered talk, the chirping of birds and the sound of a gentle stream. The conversation becomes harder to understand in noisy environments.

• Moderate Hearing Loss- The inability to hear sounds between 41 to 55 decibels is classified as moderate hearing loss. With moderate hearing loss, there is difficulty in understanding normal speech and comprehending speech becomes more burdensome in the presence of background noise. A person with moderate hearing loss cannot hear sounds such as a babbling brook, noise from a large electrical transformer at a distance of 100 feet, light traffic and conversations at home.

• Moderately Severe Hearing Loss- The inability to hear sounds between 56 to 70 decibels is classified as moderately severe hearing loss. Such sounds include conversations at restaurants and offices, the noise produced by a vacuum cleaner, the sound of a shower and an air-conditioning unit at 100 feet.

• Severe Hearing Loss- The inability to hear sounds between 71 to 90 decibels is classified as severe hearing loss. Sounds in this decibel category include the sound of a train at 50 feet, passing trucks, the sound produced by a squeeze toy, normal television volume in a living room and the noise made by a food processor.

• Profound Hearing Loss- The inability to hear sounds at 91 decibels and above is classified as profound hearing loss. Such sounds include the sound when riding a motorcycle, music at a loud concert, aircraft landing at a distance, the noise in a train and the sound levels in a sports stadium.

An audiometry exam tests your ability to hear sounds. Sounds vary, based on their loudness (intensity) and the speed of sound wave vibrations (tone). Audiometric testing helps determine if occupational hearing loss is being prevented by the noise control measures. Because occupational hearing loss happens gradually over time, workers often fail to notice changes in their hearing ability until a relatively large change occurs. By comparing audiometric tests from past years, early changes can be detected and appropriate protective measures can be implemented to prevent further damage.

Results from a hearing test are displayed on an audiogram. An audiogram is a graph that shows the softest sounds a person can hear at different pitches or frequencies. The closer the marks are to the top of the graph, the softer the sounds that a person can hear. Where the patient's results fall on the audiogram indicate the different degrees of hearing loss.

So, now you all know it very well what exactly hearing loss is and how dynamic the concepts are. If in future you visit someone who is not able to hear you properly just make them read our blog and it will surely be a help to the individual. So keep on sharing as sharing is caring. •