Causes Of Hearing Loss
There are lots of possible causes of hearing loss. It may be caused by something treatable or it may be permanent.
Your symptoms may give you an idea what could be causing it. But do not self-diagnose, see a GP for advice.
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You can call 111 or get help from 111 online.
Sometimes Tinnitus Doesnt Just Disappear
If your tinnitus doesnt diminish within the span of three months or so, the ailment is then classified chronic tinnitus .
Around 5-15% of individuals globally have reported symptoms of chronic tinnitus. While there are some recognized close connections , the causes of tinnitus arent yet very well understood.
When the triggers of your tinnitus arent clear, it usually means that a fast cure will be evasive. There is a good possibility that your tinnitus wont go away on its own if you have been hearing the ringing for more than three months. In those cases, there are treatment possibilities available that can help you control symptoms and protect your quality of life.
Head Trauma Or Injury Head Trauma Or Injury
An abrupt, violent blow to the head, such as those from a car accident or explosion, can cause brain concussions and injuries. These injuries can damage the auditory system and pathway, resulting in sudden hearing loss. The middle and inner ear are more commonly affected, particularly the sensitive nerve cells in the cochlea . Nerve cell damage can lead to hearing loss, as well as tinnitus.
Sometimes a head injury only affects the outer or middle ear, resulting in a type of hearing loss called conductive hearing loss. The hearing loss typically goes away within a few months in these cases. However, if the trauma is severe enough to damage the inner ear, the sudden hearing loss may become a long-term, permanent hearing loss.
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How Long Does Tinnitus Last On Average
Theres no cure for tinnitus. But that doesnt mean itll never go away. How long your tinnitus lasts will depend on a wide variety of factors, including the underlying cause of your tinnitus and your overall hearing health.
But if you just returned home from a noisy day of traveling and you notice your ears ringing, you can generally expect your tinnitus to disappear in a day or two. On average, tinnitus will last 16 to 48 hours. But its also not uncommon for symptoms to lingeroften for as long as two weeks. Additional exposure to loud noises could also cause tinnitus to flare up again, effectively resetting the clock.
Its generally recommended that you should take the time to go see a hearing specialist if your tinnitus persists and especially if your tinnitus is detracting from your quality of life.
The Recovery Capability Of Your Body
While some wounds take longer to heal than others, the human body generally has no issue healing cuts, scrapes, or broken bones. But youre out of luck when it comes to fixing the tiny little hairs in your ears. So far, at least. Though scientists are working on it, humans cant heal the cilia in their ears in the same way animals can. What that means is, if you injure these hairs or the hearing nerve, you may have irreversible hearing loss.
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Can Nihl Be Prevented
NIHL is the only type of hearing loss that is completely preventable. If you understand the hazards of noise and how to practice good hearing health, you can protect your hearing for life. Heres how:
- Know which noises can cause damage.
- Wear earplugs or other protective devices when involved in a loud activity .
- If you cant reduce the noise or protect yourself from it, move away from it.
- Be alert to hazardous noises in the environment.
- Protect the ears of children who are too young to protect their own.
- Make family, friends, and colleagues aware of the hazards of noise.
- Have your hearing tested if you think you might have hearing loss.
What Causes Hearing Loss
Hearing loss can be caused by
- years of exposure to noise, which is especially true for people who work in loud environments, such as live music venues, mining, building or farming
- ear infections
- exposure to certain chemicals or medications including aspirin, some antibiotics and some cancer drugs
- listening to very loud music with headphones
Nearly everybody finds their hearing gets worse as they get older. In some cases, genetics plays a part and some families develop hearing problems earlier in life than other families.
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How To Treat Temporary Hearing Loss
Sometimes, temporary hearing loss will clear up on its own. However, it is best if you go to the doctor to get the problem diagnosed and examined. Depending on the cause of your hearing loss, your doctor might have different ideas for treatment. They might advise you to rest or administer medication to help clear up any infections. Common treatments for temporary hearing loss include:
- Silence. If youve recently been exposed to loud noises, silence is the most important thing. If you keep listening to loud noises and dont sufficiently rest your ears, you could end up with serious permanent damage.
- Antibiotics. If your problem lies with an infection, you need to take some antibiotics and clear up the infection in your ears. Then, the fluid will drain and you should hear normally again.
- Stop ototoxic medications. If youre taking medications that are impairing your hearing, your doctor might ask that you stop taking them and switch to a different treatment. After that your hearing should improve.
- Remove blockages. If you have a foreign object in your ear or impacted earwax, you need to have this blockage removed. Until then, you will likely continue experiencing temporary conductive hearing loss. Never try to remove foreign objects yourself, and only trust medical professionals with your ears.
Signs That Your Baby Can Hear
Indications that your baby can hear include:
- newborn to eight weeks of age startles or widens their eyes at sudden noises nearby, and is woken or stirred from sleep by noise
- eight weeks to four months looks towards direction of sound, and may quieten while listening
- six to 12 months turns head towards known voices or sounds, starts to babble
- 12 to 18 months knows the names of favourite toys, begins to imitate simple words and sounds
- 18 to 24 months has a small vocabulary of single words, and can understand simple directions such as Give mummy the ball
- two-and-a-half to three-and-a-half years has clear speech with a good vocabulary.
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How Is Hearing Loss In One Ear Treated
Treatment options for your hearing loss will depend on the cause of your condition. In some cases, hearing loss will be irreversible. Your doctor may recommend a hearing aid to help improve your hearing if there is no other treatment for your hearing loss.
Other treatment options may include:
- surgery to repair the ear or remove a tumor
- antibiotics to treat infection
Causes Of Permanent Hearing Loss
The main causes of permanent hearing loss are:
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The Condition Of Temporary Tinnitus
Around the globe, almost everyone has had a bout of tinnitus because its quite common. Tinnitus is a non-permanent condition, in most circumstances, and will ultimately vanish by itself. A rock concert is an excellent example: you go see Bruce Springsteen at your local stadium and when you get home, you realize that there is ringing in your ears.
Within a couple of days the kind of tinnitus connected to damage from loud noise will commonly fade away .
Of course, its exactly this kind of noise injury that, over time, can cause hearing loss to move from temporary to chronic. One concert too many and you may be waiting quite a while for your tinnitus to recede on its own.
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You Have A Brief Window To Seek Treatment
Everyone’s hearing naturally declines with age, and people often have one ear that hears better than the other. But if hearing loss appears suddenly in one ear for no apparent reason, you may have experienced sudden sensorineural hearing loss, or SHL, a kind of nerve deafness.
There are about 66,000 new cases of SHL per year in the United States, according to research in the August 2019 issue of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery. But these numbers are hard to come by, since the condition may be underdiagnosed.
“The main reason is that people don’t view it as a serious problem and don’t get the medical care they need. This delay increases the risk of permanent hearing loss,” says Dr. Steven Rauch, an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist with Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts Eye and Ear.
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Do You Need To See A Doctor Right Away
Here’s a checklist to help you know if you should seek prompt medical treatment :
- Were you very recently exposed to several hours of loud noise?
- Have you recently had a cold or ear infection?
- Did you recently exercise very strenuously?
- Have you been under extreme stress?
If you answered no to all of these questions, it could be sudden sensorineural hearing loss, which requires prompt medical care.
Why Do We Have Ear Wax
Ear wax benefits the body in several ways. These natural functions of ear wax include:
- Ear Wax is a Moisturizer. Due to its oily, waxy nature, ear wax is an effective moisturizer for the ear canal, keeping it clean and lubricated. Too little ear wax can leave your ears dry, itchy and flaky, making you more prone to scratching themwhich puts them at greater risk for irritation and infection.
- Ear Wax is a Protective Barrier. Ear wax is a natural protective barrierhelping trap dirt, dust and other grime before it has a chance to reach your eardrum and inner ear.
- Ear Wax is a Bug Repellent. The smell of this waxy substance actually shoos away small, curious insects, who can sometimes fly or crawl their way into the ear . If bugs do manage to break their way in, theyll get caught in ear waxs sticky trap, then tumble out later along with the rest of the gunk.
- Ear Wax is an Antibiotic. Ear wax is your ears local defense system. Researchers have identified several important antimicrobial peptides present in ear wax. These peptides work together to protect against a broad range of bacteria and fungi, preventing them from growing and infecting the ear. While each peptide has its own antimicrobial effect they become more powerful and effective when combined. The pH level of ear wax provides ideal conditions for this collaborative action to take place.
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We Love Hearing From Our Clients As Much As They Love Being Able To Hear
Very Satisfied! I am starting my 4th year with Salem Audiology, and I find the service great, everyone from the receptionist, to my audiologist, are very helpful, & knowledgeable. I recommend attending the clinics, especially before buying your 1st pair of hearing aids. I trust that Scott & his staff at Salem audiology, are going to do whats right for me.
-Virginia S., Patient
Very Satisfied! I am starting my 4th year with Salem Audiology, and I find the service great, everyone from the receptionist, to my audiologist, are very helpful, & knowledgeable. I recommend attending the clinics, especially before buying your 1st pair of hearing aids. I trust that Scott & his staff at Salem audiology, are going to do whats right for me.
-Virginia S., Patient
What Is Sudden Temporary Hearing Loss
Hearing loss often happens gradually over time. However, sometimes it can come on suddenly, either instantly or over the course of a few days. Sudden hearing loss can be a very upsetting and confusing issue to experience. The good news is that temporary hearing loss can often be remedied, especially if diagnosed and treated early. Here, we break down the main causes for temporary or sudden hearing loss, as well as treatment options and , what you can do to minimize your risk of experiencing it.
Dr. Victoria Zambrano, Au.D.
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What Is Unilateral Hearing Loss
A unilateral hearing loss occurs when hearing in one ear is within normal limits, while hearing in the other ear has some degree of reduction in hearing. Unilateral hearing loss can range from mild to profound in severity. You can have unilateral hearing loss from birth, or hearing loss can develop later in life, suddenly or gradually.
How Can Noise Damage Our Hearing
To understand how loud noises can damage our hearing, we have to understand how we hear. Hearing depends on a series of events that change sound waves in the air into electrical signals. Our auditory nerve then carries these signals to the brain through a complex series of steps.
Stereocilia perch atop sensory hair cells in the inner ear.
: Yoshiyuki Kawashima
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What Should I Do If I Think I Have Unilateral Hearing Loss Or Single
If you suspect you have hearing loss, schedule a hearing test with an audiologist. If you suspect you have a sudden hearing loss, schedule an appointment with an ear, nose, and throat physician immediately, as this may need to be treated right away for best results.
If you have been diagnosed with unilateral hearing loss, talk to your audiologist about non-medical management options such as amplification and communication strategies and/or an ENT physician to discuss medical or surgical intervention such as implantable devices. Managing the hearing loss earlier rather than later often yields better results, so it’s important to seek treatment options as soon as your hearing loss is identified.
Stem Cell Transplant And Gene Therapy
A 2005 study achieved successful regrowth of cochlea cells in guinea pigs. However, the regrowth of cochlear hair cells does not imply the restoration of hearing sensitivity, as the sensory cells may or may not make connections with neurons that carry the signals from hair cells to the brain. A 2008 study has shown that gene therapy targeting Atoh1 can cause hair cell growth and attract neuronal processes in embryonic mice. Some hope that a similar treatment will one day ameliorate hearing loss in humans.
Recent research, reported in 2012 achieved growth of cochlear nerve cells resulting in hearing improvements in gerbils, using stem cells. Also reported in 2013 was regrowth of hair cells in deaf adult mice using a drug intervention resulting in hearing improvement. The Hearing Health Foundation in the US has embarked on a project called the Hearing Restoration Project. Also Action on Hearing Loss in the UK is also aiming to restore hearing.
Researchers reported in 2015 that genetically deaf mice which were treated with TMC1 gene therapy recovered some of their hearing. In 2017, additional studies were performed to treat Usher syndrome and here, a recombinant adeno-associated virus seemed to outperform the older vectors.
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How Is Sudden Deafness Treated
The most common treatment for sudden deafness, especially when the cause is unknown, is corticosteroids. Steroids can treat many disorders and usually work by reducing inflammation, decreasing swelling, and helping the body fight illness. Previously, steroids were given in pill form. In 2011, a clinical trial supported by the NIDCD showed that intratympanic injection of steroids was as effective as oral steroids. After this study, doctors started prescribing direct intratympanic injection of steroids into the middle ear the medication then flows into the inner ear. The injections can be performed in the offices of many otolaryngologists, and are a good option for people who cannot take oral steroids or want to avoid their side effects.
Steroids should be used as soon as possible for the best effect and may even be recommended before all test results come back. Treatment that is delayed for more than two to four weeks is less likely to reverse or reduce permanent hearing loss.
Additional treatments may be needed if your doctor discovers an underlying cause of your SSHL. For example, if SSHL is caused by an infection, the doctor may prescribe antibiotics. If you took drugs that were toxic to the ear, you may be advised to switch to another drug. If an autoimmune condition caused your immune system to attack the inner ear, the doctor may prescribe drugs that suppress the immune system.