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Hearing impairment is a disease of our civilization. About 1,5 billion people around the world struggle with them. In Poland, we can talk about almost 3 million people with hearing impairment. And this is not only a problem of seniors, but of people of all ages. The good news is that a great many hearing impaired patients can be helped. The first step is diagnosis. What signals could indicate a worsening hearing? Check and think about whether they apply to you or a loved one.
- WHO: Nearly half a billion people worldwide struggle with hearing loss. By 2050, there may be over 900 million of them
- One billion people have hearing problems that make it difficult for them to communicate with the world
- It is estimated that 2,8 million Poles may have hearing loss
- If you are concerned about the hearing condition of you or your loved ones, ask yourself questions prepared by ASHA specialists. The answers you give may indicate if you need to see a doctor
- More current information can be found on the Onet homepage.
Approximately 1,5 billion people worldwide have hearing problems
– Hearing defects have become a disease of civilization – said prof. dr hab. n. med. Henryk Skarżyński, director of the Institute of Physiology and Pathology of Hearing in Kajetany. This is confirmed by the statistics of the World Health Organization. According to data from March last year, half a billion people in the world struggle with hearing loss (by 2050 there may already be over 900 million). Additionally, one billion people have hearing problems that make it difficult for them to communicate with the world. When it comes to our home yard, it is estimated that 2,8 million Poles may have hearing loss.
Hearing loss mainly affects the elderly (as many as 75% of people over the age of 70 struggle with it), but the problem is more and more often observed in young people. According to WHO, 1,1 billion. people between the ages of 12 and 35 are at risk of hearing loss. This is influenced, among others, by ubiquitous noise, loud music accompanying from childhood, earphones, inability to use the latest technologies.
- Age-related deafness – an age-related condition. Symptoms, diagnosis, treatment
Of course, there are many more causes of hearing impairment. Among them are genetic factors, birth complications, prematurity, low birth weight, perinatal hypoxia, some infectious diseases, e.g. rubella or measles, chronic ear infections, neurological diseases, severe infections, including meningitis, the use of certain drugs – the so-called ototoxic.
The risk of hearing loss may also be increased by such common diseases as diabetes, hypercholesterolaemia, and atherosclerosis. In their course, the walls of blood vessels stiffen and blood flow is disturbed, and this may lead to hypoxia and impaired functioning of the hearing.
Whatever the cause, hearing disorders make it difficult to communicate normally, affecting our entire life (relationships, education, work) and, consequently, our mental state. Fortunately, modern medicine can help a great many hearing impaired patients. The most important thing is to recognize the problem as early as possible and apply the appropriate therapy.
Do you suspect hearing problems? Signals better not to be taken lightly
If you are concerned about the condition of your hearing, ask yourself the following questions. They were developed by specialists from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) – an association associating e.g. audiologists (dealing with the diagnosis and disorders and infections of the hearing organ) and scientists dealing with speech and hearing, both in the United States and in the world.
– If you answer “yes” to more than two questions, contact an audiologist, advises ASHA. Let us emphasize at this point that this cannot be treated as a diagnosis. This is only a guideline for what to do next – consulting a doctor and following his recommendations.
- Laryngologist – indications for a visit, course of examination, treatment
Find out if you may need a hearing test:
- Hear better in one ear than the other during a phone call?
- Having trouble understanding when two or more people are talking at the same time?
- Do people complain that you adjust the TV too hard?
- Do you have to make an effort to understand what people are saying?
- Having trouble hearing in a noisy place?
- Do you experience dizziness, pain or ringing in your ears?
- Are you asking people to repeat what they said?
- Are family members or coworkers telling you that you cannot hear what they are saying?
- Do many of the people you talk to seem to mumble or talk slurredly?
- Do you have problems understanding women and children?
- Do people get upset because you don’t understand what they are saying?
Find out if your child may need a hearing test
If you are concerned that your child may not hear well, use the following questions prepared by ASHA specialists. “If you notice any of the following symptoms, take your child to an audiologist,” they advise.
- Your baby doesn’t always respond to sounds
- The child does not speak many words
- Your child’s speech is not clear
- You notice that your child is setting the TV, radio or headphones too loud
- Your child is not following the instructions
- The child often says: “huh?” or what?”
- The child does not answer your call.
If the situation is not sudden, you can consult a doctor without leaving your home, using telemedicine. For this, the patient can make an appointment with your doctor for a TV visit.
Your eyes can tell you about your hearing condition. Fascinating findings by scientists
It is worth knowing that information about the condition of hearing can be provided by… eyes. This method may be particularly useful for examining infants, older children with developmental deficits, but also adults who, for various reasons, have problems with communication (e.g., are too sick to respond). The method was developed by scientists from the University of Oregon. And it was a coincidence that decided it.
It all started in 1998 with the Barn Owl. UO scientist Terry Takahashi studied how these birds process sounds. The acquired knowledge was to translate into the improvement of hearing aids (for people). Meanwhile, another scientist participating in the study, Avinash Singh Bala, noted what was happening to the eyes of owls. He noticed that their pupils dilate in response to sounds.
Both scientists decided to check whether this phenomenon also occurs in humans. “If so, it would be a great way to assess the hearing of people who cannot respond,” said Avinash Singh Bala. In an effort to find answers to how to use eyes to diagnose hearing, scientists investigated 31 people’s responses to sounds using eye tracking technology.
The participants underwent a standard hearing test and additionally confirmed each sound they heard using a button. While the sound was playing, the volunteers stared at the dot on the monitor and their pupil reactions were monitored (for about three seconds). At random intervals, the dot was replaced by a question mark – thanks to this, the subjects did not adjust and sharpen their hearing at certain moments, which could distort the test results.
What were the results of the study? It was found that the participants of the study dilated the pupils when the button was pressed, i.e. when a sound was heard. The pupils began to dilate a quarter of a second after hearing the beep. According to the researchers, this demonstrates a cause and effect relationship between the sound and the pupil’s reaction.
Currently, Bala and Takahashi continue to work on hearing research in babies.
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- Sudden deafness of unclear origin
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