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Defectology is one of the branches of medicine that specializes in the development of children with physical / mental disabilities. Audiology is a branch of defectology. He studies the problems of social rehabilitation and adaptation of patients with hearing impairments or total deafness. What you need to know about audiologists, how is the appointment and for what symptoms should you visit a specialist?
General characteristics of the direction
At the heart of audiology are two important medical areas – defectology and otolaryngology. Practitioners work with patients of all ages and help them to normalize their hearing. The next stage is adaptation in society. Most often, a psychologist deals with it, much less often – a defectologist with the appropriate specialization. A particularly difficult task is faced by a child psychologist, since it is extremely difficult to build communication between a child with hearing problems and an absolutely healthy peer.
Difficulties with adaptation are possible at any age. Do not be afraid to use the help of doctors to resolve internal conflicts, accept an illness or get rid of fears.
Doctors belong to the category of clinicians (work only in medical institutions). An audiologist identifies hearing impairments, draws up a therapeutic course, and selects the most effective and safe medicines. Treatment tactics are compiled individually on the basis of clinical studies of each individual patient.
An audiologist is the same otolaryngologist, but with a greater practical and theoretical base regarding hearing impairment. The specialist works not only with acquired, but also with congenital hearing disorders. Surgical surgeons are classified as a separate category. In addition to diagnosis and therapy, they perform surgical interventions to restore hearing.
What is included in the list of duties of a specialist
The main goal of an audiologist is to identify and cure diseases of the hearing organs. The doctor also specializes in hearing aids. Hearing aids mean the selection of devices that amplify the sound. The method is used when traditional treatment (physiotherapy and drugs) is not effective enough.
After the installation of the hearing aid, the patient must go through an adaptation period. At this time, a person gets used to the unusual loudness of speech and various extraneous noises that the hearing organs could not distinguish before. The adaptation period can take place both at home and in a medical institution. It depends on the initial indicators of the body, the degree of hearing loss and the characteristics of the therapeutic course.
The effectiveness of hearing aids depends not only on the technical perfection of the equipment, but also on the correctness of individual selection. Do not self-medicate and do not fit a hearing aid yourself, so as not to aggravate the current situation.
An incomplete list of diseases with which the audiologist works:
- Otosclerosis. Metabolic disorders and pathological bone growth in the middle ear. The process is fraught with deterioration or complete loss of hearing. At first, otosclerosis covers only one ear, then it reduces the hearing acuity of both organs. The first symptom of the disease is the loss of response to low frequency sounds.
- Complete (deafness) and partial (hard of hearing) hearing impairment. A person stops detecting some frequencies and distinguishing sounds with low amplitude. Pathology can be caused by biological/environmental factors, mechanical damage, inflammation or infection.
- Acoustic neuroma. It is a benign neuroma. It grows from the Schwann cells of the auditory nerve. According to statistics, pathology is detected annually in 1 person per 100 thousand of the population.
- Meniere’s disease. Nonpurulent disease of the inner ear. Manifested by recurrent attacks of deafness, tinnitus, systemic dizziness, autonomic disorders and imbalance. It is considered a rare disease and occurs in 20-200 people out of 100 population.
- Otitis. This is an inflammatory process in the ear. Allocate external / otitis media or labyrinth (inflammation of the inner ear). It is considered one of the most common pathologies. Children are most often affected by otitis media. According to statistics, 80% of babies under 3 years of age have had at least one episode of otitis media.
- Hearing loss due to age-related changes in the body. With age, the body begins to work worse and slower. A person loses the ability to distinguish certain frequencies and amplitudes of sound. This is a natural process that can be corrected by audiology therapy. Most often, patients are fitted with a hearing aid, prescribed a list of medications, and advised to lead a comfortable lifestyle.
What symptoms should you see an audiologist for?
Regular preventive examinations by an audiologist are essential for people who work in noisy environments. Most often they are employees of industrial enterprises. Fans of loud music with headphones and patients who have already suffered inflammation of the hearing organs should also visit a specialist regularly.
It is these groups of people who are at risk of hearing loss, and a timely visit to a doctor will help to notice and prevent complications in time.
Hearing pathologies can form after diabetes mellitus, metabolic disorders, cardiovascular diseases, mechanical head injuries, and the appointment of a course of antibiotics. Attend comprehensive examinations at least 1-2 times a year to fully control your own body.
What symptoms should you see a doctor for? Any change in hearing is a serious reason to go to a specialist. If you begin to have difficulty hearing others, TV, door or phone calls, immediately contact an audiologist. If you have to bend over / turn to the interlocutor for better audibility of the dialogue, then a pathological process has been launched in the organ of hearing, which affects the quality of life.
Ear congestion that does not go away on its own should also raise suspicion and lead to a consultation. Don’t delay going to the doctor as the condition may worsen.
In the best case, it will seem to the patient that a plug is stuck in the ear, which slightly affects hearing, in the worst case, the person will experience hellish pain in the ear, which is not always possible to get rid of with medication.
Methods of diagnosis and features of therapy
During the first examination, the audiologist examines the clinical picture of the disease and the general condition of the patient. After that, the doctor proceeds to the diagnosis. He determines the acuity of hearing, examines the ear canal and conducts a detailed survey regarding the current state of health. Additionally, audiometry or tympanometry may be prescribed.
Audiometry – determination of auditory sensitivity to sound waves of various frequencies. Tympanometry – air pressure on the auditory canal in order to study the function of the middle ear, the degree of mobility of the tympanic membrane and the conductivity of the auditory ossicles.
In more advanced or severe cases, the doctor selects specific diagnostic methods – electrocochleography, otomicroscopy, reflexometry.
Based on the information received, the audiologist prescribes therapy. Some patients will need a week of medication treatment, others need surgery and fitting a hearing aid. The main thing is not to self-medicate, trust the doctor and strictly follow his recommendations.
preventive measures
To avoid the development of diseases or complications, audiologists recommend to undergo diagnostics 1-2 times a year. In case of congenital or past diseases, the number of visits varies by the doctor on an individual basis. Particular attention should be paid to newborn children and schoolchildren.
Delayed speech development, lack of response to some sounds, frequent tears of the child for no apparent reason may indicate problems with the hearing aid.
Be sure to take your baby to the doctors and do not delay the appointment. The sooner a specialist identifies a problem, the faster and more effectively it will be possible to get rid of it.
If you live in a noisy environment, try to eliminate it as much as possible. Install soundproof windows, rarely open them, or find accommodation in a quieter area. Remember that excessive noise will definitely affect not only the hearing aid, but also the psyche.
Audiologists highlight one important rule – never endure pain. The body clearly lets you know that pathological processes are taking place inside and they urgently need to be stopped. Don’t assume that the pain is temporary, but that after a few hours or days the body will deal with the infection on its own. Such carelessness can cause irreversible consequences for the body, complete or partial hearing loss. Modern medicine is able to correct any hearing impairment and bring the quality of life to a new level. Trust doctors and be healthy.