Hearing Loss: Causes, Prevention And Treatment

Introduction

Hearing loss is common as you grow older, but there are causes other than age and methods to prevent it.

Presbycusis

Presbycusis, or age-related hearing loss, is the most common type of presbycusis. It occurs in more than half of all people over 65 years old and is considered to be normal part of aging.

What Causes Presbycusis?

Presbycusis can be caused by multiple factors. These include: genetic factors, exposure to loud noises and the natural process of aging itself.

Otosclerosis

Otosclerosis is a disease of the bones in the middle ear. It is usually hereditary, and it affects one or both ears. Otosclerosis can be diagnosed in children or young adults, usually between 5 and 20 years of age; however, some may not be diagnosed until their 40s or 50s. The disease is most common among Caucasians but also occurs in other ethnic groups, including African Americans and Asians (especially Japanese).

Otosclerosis cannot be cured; however, treatment options include surgery and hearing aids . Surgery involves removing part or all of an ear drum to create more space for sound waves to travel through your eardrum into your inner ear. Hearing aids amplify sounds so that you can hear them better than without them when you have otosclerosis .

Acoustic neuroma

Acoustic neuroma is a tumor on the vestibulocochlear nerve, which is responsible for hearing and balance. The symptoms of acoustic neuroma include hearing loss, tinnitus and vertigo. Acoustic neuroma is most common in people over 50.

The tumor grows slowly, but can be surgically removed if necessary.

Cervical spondylosis

Cervical spondylosis is a degenerative disease of the spine. With age, we all lose some of our body’s ability to repair itself. As we get older, one common symptom is that our bodies are less able to repair damage or injury that occurs to our nerves, muscles and joints (like those in the neck).

Cervical spondylosis can cause neck pain, numbness and tingling in the arms and hands. The condition may also cause weakness or stiffness in your arms or legs. In many cases, cervical spondylosis causes no symptoms at all until it progresses further along the spine causing nerve compression (compression of the spinal cord) which then results in pain or discomfort when walking long distances due to weakness/stiffness in your leg muscles due to compression affecting nerve signals reaching them from lower down on their way down towards hips area where these leg muscle power source comes from).

Meniere’s disease

Meniere’s disease is a disorder of the inner ear. It causes sudden episodes of vertigo, hearing loss and ringing in the ears (tinnitus). There is no known cure for Meniere’s disease, but symptoms can be controlled with medication and lifestyle changes.

Meniere’s disease often begins between age 20 and 50 years old. Women are three times more likely to develop this condition than men.

Sudden hearing loss

Sudden hearing loss is a sudden decrease in hearing. There are several possible causes of sudden hearing loss, including:

  • Acute viral inner ear infection (inner ear inflammation)
  • Injury to the inner ear or cochlea (the spiral structure in your inner ear that contains tiny hairs which sense vibrations and send signals to your brain telling you what sounds you’re hearing)
  • Injury to the auditory nerve (the nerve that sends information from your inner ear through your skull and into your brain)

Helmets, earplugs and other noise protection devices

In addition to preventing noise-induced hearing loss, wearing earplugs and other protective devices can also help you avoid the nuisance of tinnitus.

Wearing hearing protection while working, playing or engaging in noisy activities will help you avoid both short-term irritation and long-term damage to your ears. Some examples of such activities include:

  • Going to concerts
  • Using power tools at home or work (e.g., nail guns)
  • Using lawnmowers, leaf blowers and similar equipment that emit high levels of noise
  • Listening to loud music through headphones/earbuds for extended periods of time

Hearing loss is common as you grow older, but there are causes other than age and methods to prevent it.

  • Hearing loss is common as you grow older, but there are causes other than age and methods to prevent it.
  • Presbycusis is the most common cause of hearing loss. It’s a natural aging process that affects your ability to hear sounds at high frequencies, like those in women’s voices and consonants at the end of words (like “s” or “t”).
  • Otosclerosis is a condition where the bones in the middle ear harden and cause hearing loss. It can happen gradually or suddenly after an injury to the head or neck area.

Conclusion

Hearing loss is a common problem that affects millions of people. The good news is that there are many different ways to prevent it and treat it if necessary. We hope this article has helped you understand the different causes of hearing loss and how to prevent them, as well as what treatment options are available if you do get diagnosed with hearing loss.

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