What Is Hearing Loss?

What is hearing loss?

Hearing loss is one of the most common chronic health problems affecting people of all ages, in all segments of the population and from all socioeconomic levels. Hearing loss affects about 17 of every 1,000 children and young people under 18. The incidence increases with age: approximately 314 of 1,000 people over 65 suffer from hearing loss. It may be hereditary or may result from disease, trauma, long-term exposure to noise, or medication. Hearing loss can range from a mild but significant decrease in hearing sensitivity at a total loss.

Levels Of Hearing Loss

Doctors classify hearing loss by degrees: from mild, moderate, severe, or profound. As the stages progress, the person with hearing loss becomes increasingly cut off from the world of speech and sounds. The symptoms of these categories include:

Levels of Hearing Loss

Mild hearing loss. One-on-one conversations are fine but it becomes hard to catch every word in the presence of background noise.

Moderate hearing loss. You often need to ask people to repeat themselves during in-person and telephone conversations.

Severe hearing loss. Following a conversation is almost impossible without a hearing aid.

Profound hearing loss. You cannot hear other people speaking, unless they are extremely loud. Without a hearing aid or cochlear implant you cannot understand speech.

Degree of hearing loss refers to the severity of the loss. The table below shows one of the more commonly used classification systems. The numbers are representative of the patient's hearing loss range in decibels (dB HL)

Normal	–10 to 15
Slight	16 to 25
Mild	26 to 40
Moderate	41 to 55
Moderately severe	56 to 70
Severe	71 to 90
Profound	91+

Levels of hearing loss

We use the term 'hearing loss' to cover all kinds of deafness.

There are four different levels of hearing loss, defined by the quietest sound that people are able to hear, measured in decibels (dB).

Mild hearing loss:

• Quietest sound: 25 - 39 dB.
• Can sometimes make following speech difficult, particularly in noisy situations.

Moderate hearing loss:

• Quietest sound: 40 - 69 dB.
• May have difficulty following speech without hearing aids.

Severe hearing loss:

• Quietest sound: 70 - 94 dB.
• Usually need to lipread or use sign language, even with hearing aids.

Profound deafness:

• Quietest sound: 95 dB+
• Usually need to lipread or use sign language.

What Are The Signs I'm Losing My Hearing ?

The telltale symptoms that you are experiencing hearing loss are :

difficulty hearing other people clearly

misunderstanding what people say

asking people to repeat themselves

listening to music or watching television with the volume turned up high

difficulty hearing the telephone or doorbell

regularly feeling tired or stressed, due to having to concentrate closely while listening

Experiencing problems to hear words clearly when there is background noise.

Feeling of isolation because you can't follow a conversation

Signs in babies
You should consider seeing your GP if you notice that your baby or toddler:
is not startled by loud noises
does not turn towards the source of a sound while under four months old
does not say single words by the time they are one year old
notices you when they see you but not when you call their name
hears some sounds but not others

Signs in children
You should consider seeing your GP if you notice your child:
is slow to learn to talk, or they are not clear when they speak
often asks you to repeat yourself
often talks very loudly
often turns up the volume of the TV so that it is very loud
have difficulty following conversations involving more than 2 people.
think that other people sound muffled or like they're mumbling.
have difficulty hearing in noisy situations, like conferences, restaurants, malls, or crowded meeting rooms.
have ringing in your ears.
read lips or more intently watch people's faces when they speak with you.

Emotional signs:
feel stressed out from straining to hear what others are saying.
feel annoyed at other people because you can't hear or understand them.
feel embarrassed to meet new people or from misunderstanding what others are saying.
feel nervous about trying to hear and understand.
withdraw from social situations that you once enjoyed because of difficulty hearing.

Medical signs:
have a family history of hearing loss.
take medications that can harm the hearing system (ototoxic drugs).
have diabetes, heart, circulation or thyroid problems.
have been exposed to very loud sounds over a long period or single exposure to explosive noise.