Hearing Loss and Deafness – 10 Facts You May Not Know

One of the most common ailments that have not received a great deal of attention is hearing impairment. It is generally accepted that the United States has over thirty six million individuals with some form of hearing loss. The Institute for Deafness and other Communication Disorders has expressed interest in releasing some basic facts about hearing loss and its effects. Here we will take a look at ten interesting facts about hearing loss.

Fact 1: There are diseases that can cause some forms of hearing loss. One of the most commonly cited examples is called Meniere’s disease, which creates conductive hearing loss. Other diseases which are not centered in the ear canal or surrounding tissue can also cause forms of hearing. It is important to have your hearing tested, especially for children, after every major sickness. As the usage of headphones and earbuds becomes more prominent, it is also important to have hearing checked on a regular basis.

Fact 2: There are some medications that can cure hearing loss. When one has hearing loss that is attributed to allergies or a cold, the medication can often break down the obstruction caused by fluid buildup. It is important to consult a doctor to ensure that you have the right medication to help regain hearing.

Fact 3: One of the most important factors of recovering hearing loss is consulting a hearing specialist. As humans age, there is an expected amount of hearing loss that can be considered acceptable. In order to be sure that you are not suffering from unnatural hearing loss, seeing a specialist for an examination is the best course of action.

Fact 4: There are some viruses that can cause hearing loss in the form of acute sensorineural loss. This means that the virus will affect the ability to translate sound via nerve pathways in the ear.

Fact 5: Hearing loss can often be corrected to a certain point. However, not all patients will experience the same level of recovery as others.

Fact 6: Contrary to popular belief, hearing loss can affect people of any age. Young or old, there are many natural and unnatural factors which can cause some degree of hearing impairment. Malformation of the inner ear area is one of the leading causes of hearing loss in growing children.

Fact 7: For people that have a foreign body that has become stuck in their ear, such as earwax or a toy, surgery to remove this body often results in complete hearing recovery. It is important to consult a specialist to make sure that they removal process will not cause any additional health problems.

Fact 8: Fluid buildup that comes as a result of allergies or an illness such as the flu can result in some forms of limited hearing loss. It usually takes the form of conductive hearing loss and can usually be corrected by medicine used in conjunction with oversight from a physician.

Fact 9: Acoustic trauma caused by sudden, loud noises or subjection to loud sounds over time can result in sensorineural hearing loss. It is important to protect your ears from damaging noises whenever possible.

Fact 10: There are three types of hearing loss that are identified by health professionals. The first type is called sensorineural hearing loss and is defined as hearing loss that comes as a result of damage to the nerves which conduct sound impulses to the brain. The second type of hearing loss is called conductive hearing loss, which is defined as impairment that is caused by trauma to the physical structure of the ear. The third type, mixed hearing loss, combines elements from both types of hearing loss.