What Causes Hearing Loss?

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Causes of Hearing Loss

Several factors can cause hearing loss like ear infections(otitis media), noise, medication(ototoxic medications), advanced age, genetics.

The WebMD website states that "Advanced age is the most common cause of hearing loss. One out of three people aged 65-74 has some level of hearing loss. After age 75, that ratio goes up to one out of every two people.

Advanced age is the most common cause of hearing loss. One out of three people aged 65-74 has some level of hearing loss. After age 75, that ratio goes up to one out of every two people. 

  

Researchers don't fully understand why hearing decreases with age. It could be that lifetime exposure to noise and other damaging factors slowly wear down the ears' delicate mechanics. Genes also play a role.

  Noise wears down hearing if it's loud or continuous. In some workplaces, ears are exposed to dangerous noise levels every day. To understand the impact of noise, consider this: 44% of carpenters and 48% of plumbers report some hearing loss. Other noisy lines of work include the military, mining, manufacturing, agriculture, and transportation.

Even musicians, who literally create music for our ears, are at risk for noise-induced hearing loss. Some now wear special earplugs to protect their ears when they perform. The earplugs allow them to hear music without harming their ears' inner workings.

Loud noise can be very damaging to hearing. Both the level of noise and the length of time you listen to the noise can put you at risk for noise-induced hearing loss. Noise levels are measured in decibels, or dB for short. The higher the decibel level, the louder the noise. Sounds that are louder than 85 dB can cause permanent hearing loss. The hearing system can be injured not only by a loud blast or explosion but also by prolonged exposure to high noise levels.

  Certain medications can impair hearing and/or balance. More than 200 medications and chemicals have a track record of triggering hearing and/or balance side effects in addition to their disease-fighting capabilities. These include some antibiotics and chemotherapy drugs, aspirin, loop diuretics, a drug used to treat malaria, and several drugs for erectile dysfunction.

How Loud is Too Loud...to cause hearing loss?

Dangerousdecibels has a very graphic answer to this question.

http://www.dangerousdecibels.org/education/information-center/decibel-exposure-time-guidelines/

The noise chart below lists average decibel levels for everyday sounds around you.

Painful

150 dB = fireworks at 3 feet

140 dB = firearms, jet engine

130 dB = jackhammer

120 dB = jet plane takeoff, siren

Extremely Loud

110 dB = maximum output of some MP3 players, model airplane, chain saw

106 dB = gas lawn mower, snowblower

100 dB = hand drill, pneumatic drill

90 dB = subway, passing motorcycle

Very Loud

80–90 dB = blow-dryer, kitchen blender, food processor

70 dB = busy traffic, vacuum cleaner, alarm clock

Moderate

60 dB = typical conversation, dishwasher, clothes dryer

50 dB = moderate rainfall

40 dB = quiet room

Faint

30 dB = whisper, quiet library

(Retrieved from www.noisyplanet.nidcd.nih.gov/parents/athome.htm andwww.lhh.org/noise/facts/environment.html on September 24, 2009)

Flies Exposed to Loud Noises Suffer from "Hearing Loss"

Ridiculous, but true.  Flies and humans are not that different when it comes to hearing loss.

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Daniel Eberl, researcher at The University of Iowa says “We found that fruit flies exhibit acoustic trauma effects resembling those found in vertebrates, including inducing metabolic stress in sensory cells."

The effect on the molecular underpinnings of the fruit fly's ear are the same as experienced by humans, making the tests generally applicable to people, the researchers note.

Hearing Loss in Dogs : Hunting Is Bad For Your Pet's Ears

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A couple of years ago the Mississipi State University published an article about hearing loss in dogs due to gun noise. Their conclusion was that frequent exposure to gunshots can progressively damage a dog's hearing.

One researcher who worked on the study concluded : We are very excited about our preliminary data."
"Practically all of the hunting dogs have some hearing loss and practically all of the non-hunting dogs have great hearing."

The difference in hearing ability between the two test groups "is extreme," said one researcher. Ultimately, results of the study could have great consequences for hunters.

"Perhaps in the future we will recommend the same precautions for hunting dogs as for hunters, including earplugs," one of the researchers said.  

 You can read the original article at :

http://www.msstate.edu/web/media/detail.php?id=1812

Ever Wondered Which Famous People Suffer from Tinnitus?

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"Hearing loss is a terrible thing because it cannot be repaired.”

-- Pete Townshend (Guitarist from the Who)

"I was a major glutton for volume: 'Gotta feel it, gotta hear it.' Sooner or later you're going to pay the reaper."

-- Mick Fleetwood (Fleetwood Mack)

Exciting Research with Antioxidants

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For some time now, researchers have focused their attention on antioxidants and their potential benefits to prevent and even cure hearing loss. Even the Department of Defense (thousands of US GIs suffer from hearing loss and tinnitus) has shown interest and awarded $1.2 to the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine in Springfield, Ill earlier this year (Read article : http://www.hear-it.org/Antioxidants-against-noise-induced-hearing-loss)

An Application to Measure Sound

There is a Google application that measures sound. If you want to see a video showing how it works click on the read more link below. To download it click on this link :

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=kr.sira.sound

If You Have a Child with Hearing Loss This E-book Might Help

In her book Stephanie Berry from Independent Speech, an online speech therapy private practice, states that children learn to communicate through their hearing. They begin by imitating the sounds they hear around them, if they do not hear themthey cannot learn them. However, many children have a hearing problem and their parents do not realize it! There is a large range of hearing problems that can be experienced by children. While some are quite obvious others may go undetected for several years. At this time, children with hearing loss are an underidentified and thus underserved population.

Photo credit: ronnieb from morguefile.com 

All About Hearing Loss by Stephanie Barry

Ear Protection : The Proper Way to Fit Foam Earplugs

Here's a list of drugs that could Harm Your Hearing

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It is known that some drugs are potentially harmful to your hearing. (See a previous article on that topic http://hearing-loss-news.blogspot.fr/2012/08/some-antibiotics-are-bad-for-your-inner.html). Some of these drugs are ototoxic.

Ototoxicity is damage to the ear (oto-), specifically the cochlea or auditory nerve and sometimes the vestibular system, by a toxin. It is commonly medication-induced; ototoxic drugs include antibiotics such as the aminoglycoside gentamicin, loop diuretics such as furosemide, and platinum-based chemotherapy agents such as cisplatin. A number of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) have also been shown to be ototoxic. This can result in sensorineural hearing loss, dysequilibrium, or both. Either may be reversible and temporary, or irreversible and permanent.
 (Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ototoxicity)