Hearing Loss

Cathy Sanders excerpted the following from "Facing the Challenge: A Survivor's Manual for Hard of Hearing People," compiled by Self Help for Hard of Hearing People of Oregon.

Did You Know . . .

• 1 out of 10 people in the U.S. has a hearing loss.
• By age 50, 1 in 8 people have a hearing loss.
• By age 65, one out of 3 people has a hearing loss.
• Hearing loss ranks with arthritis, high blood pressure and heart disease as one of the most common physical conditions.
• There are 43 million Americans with disabilities, and of those, 28 million have a hearing loss.
• It is estimated that 30 school children per 1,000 have a hearing loss.
• One out of 12 thirty-year-olds already has a hearing loss.
• More than one third of all hearing loss is attributable to noise.
• There are more 40-year-olds with a hearing loss than 50-year-olds with a hearing loss.
• Most people will deny having a hearing loss for an average of seven years before getting help.

Do You Have a Hearing Loss?

You may have a hearing loss if you often ask people to repeat what they've said, give inappropriate responses, find that you can't hear in restaurants and other noisy situations, turn up the volume on your radio and TV, or find it harder and harder to understand telephone conversations. Similarly, you may have a hearing loss if you don't hear your alarm clock, frequently mispronounce words, or don't hear or understand people who are not facing you. You may feel embarrassed or avoid meeting new people because you may not know what they are saying, or feel frustrated because people are mumbling or not speaking up.

Even a mild hearing loss causes communication problems, making conversation difficult. You may experience headaches, fatigue or irritability and isolate yourself from social situations. Not only will you be frustrated, but those around you may be angry or frustrated at trying to make you understand. Your ability to deal with your loss won't get better by itself-You must take action.

Causes and Related Problems of Hearing Loss

Hereditary Hearing Loss

Hereditary hearing loss is passed down from parents to their children and may be inherited from one or both parents who may or may not have a loss of hearing themselves There are about 200 different types of genetic deafness.

Medical Conditions Related to Hearing Loss

Acoustic Neuroma

A non-cancerous, but dangerous, tumor developing on nerve strands that are very close to the inner ear. The size of the tumor can create pressure on other organs and can impact the ability to hear, leading to more profound hearing loss. There are different types of surgeries to remove this type of tumor, but all usually result in substantial hearing loss or deafness in the impacted ear.

Autoimmune Inner Ear Disease (AIIED) or Autoimmune Sensorineural Hearing Loss (ASHL)

A fluctuating hearing loss, usually on both sides, which is the result of an autoimmune disease, such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, or polyarthritis. The patient's own immune system produces antibodies, which destroy inner ear cells an structures, leading to hearing loss. Can also be referred to as Immune-Mediated Sensorineural Hearing Loss (SNHL).

Balance Difficulties

If your inner ear or the brain are damaged by disease or injury, the vestibular system that helps control balance and eye movements may be impacted. The most commonly diagnosed vestibular disorders include Meniere's disease, infections of the inner ear, injury caused by head blows, endolymphatic hydrops and perilymph fistula. Other disorders include acoustic neuromas and allergic or autoimmune disorders. There are many different symptoms and many degrees of severity.

Hyperacusis

A painful sensitivity to sound, often a result of excessive noise, head injury, a side effect of some medication or head surgery. Although the person has normal hearing, the tolerance level for some hearing frequencies (low or high) is extremely reduced. See "Recruitment."

Meniere's Disease

A broad term covering a variety of symptoms caused by excessive fluid in the inner ear which impact the balance and sometimes also the hearing system. The cause of Meniere's is not known, but is thought to involve viruses, allergies, circulation problems, or physical trauma. It can affect hearing in one or both ears.

Nerve Deafness

See Sensorineural Hearing Loss

Otitis Media (OM)

Infection of the middle ear, which causes pressure on the eardrum due to fluid buildup. This causes temporary hearing loss. At times, the pressure builds up sufficiently to rupture the ear drum.

Otosclerosis

Caused by excessive bone-like tissue growing in the middle ear which prevents sound waves from entering the inner ear thus causing hearing loss. May be corrected with surgery.

Ototoxic Drugs

These types of drugs have the potential to cause damage to the inner ear structure and result in temporary or permanent loss of hearing. The degree of loss and the possibility for recovery depend on the amount and duration of the use of a particular medication. Existing Sensorineural Hearing Loss (see below) can be aggravated by the use of ototoxic drugs. Some ototoxic drugs include antibiotics such as streptomycin, erythromycin, and vancomycin when given intravenously; some chemotherapeutic agents such as cisplatin, nitrogen mustard, and vincristine.

Presbycusis

This hearing loss is caused by the decline of working hair cells in the inner ear due to aging, exposure to loud noise or a genetic reason.

Recruitment

Involves hyperacusis, a painful sensitivity to sound (see above), even though a hearing loss is present. Besides not hearing certain sounds, sound can be distorted and uncomfortable.

Sensorineural Hearing Loss (Nerve Deafness)

This most common form of hearing impairment is due to an abnormality of the inner ear, the auditory nerve, or both caused by a broad variety of reasons.

Tinnitus

With tinnitus one hears sound where there is no external physical sound present. People experience it as head noises or ear-ringing which may vary in pitch and may come and go or remain constant. There are many causes and it is often associated with hearing loss. Several forms of treatment are currently available.

Noise-Induced Hearing Loss

Repeated exposure to noise has caused at least 10 million Americans to lose part or all of their hearing. Such environmentally produced hearing loss has no medical or surgical treatment except for cochlear implants for the severely or profoundly impaired. But hearing aids and other assistive listening devices can be very helpful. We live in a noisy world. Note: Exposure to noise at hazardous levels may not result in an immediate loss; the loss (damage) is cumulative across time.

Decibel (dB) Ratings!
Hazardous Time Exposures of Common Noise

Everyday Examples
(source: Am. Academy of Otolaryngology)

The Hazardous Zone

If you have a hearing loss, are having a difficult time adjusting to hearing aids or frustrated by your inability to understand what is going on around you, Central Oregon SHHH is the place for you to get support, self help and education. We meet the second Wednesday of each month, from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m., at St. Charles Regional Medical Center's Rehabilitation Conference Room (lower lever of the hospital). Please call/tty Cathy Sanders at (541) 388-8103 or e-mail her at csotr-l@bendnet.com.