Hearing impairment overview
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Overview
Hearing impairment may be a partial or complete decrease in the ability to perceive or comprehend sounds.[1] Caused by a good range of biological and environmental factors, loss of hearing can happen to any organism that perceives sound. It is highly prevalent impairment and chances increase as one's age above 60.[2]Classification is based on laterality, severity, cause, anatomy of ear, symmetry, clinical characteristics, age of onset, and associated symptoms. Sound waves vary in amplitude and in frequency. Amplitude is that the sound wave's peak pressure variation. Frequency is that the number of cycles per second of a sinusoidal component of a wave. Loss of the power to detect some frequencies, or to detect low-amplitude sounds, that an organism naturally detects, may be termed as a hearing disorder. Hearing sensitivity is indicated by the quietest sound that a person can detect, termed the hearing threshold. The normal hearing threshold is not the same for all frequencies of sounds. The Long term exposure to environmental noise, Genetics, Disease or illness, Medications[3], and Physical trauma are different biological mechanisms for hearing loss. 10% of the population in the United States is affected by hearing loss. The prevalence of clinically significant hearing loss doubles with each passing decade of life. Approximately two thirds of Americans aged 70 years or older have hearing loss. Any age people are susceptible for hearing impairment it depends on exposure to risk factors. Middle-aged adults can develop hearing loss due to genetic mutations, noise exposure, and ototoxic medications. Older adults also develop multifactorial age-related hearing deafness. Infections are the most common risk for hearing loss in young adults e-g labyrinthitis, meningitis, otitis media, otitis externa. There are different recommendations for screening for hearing loss, at what age, and the various methods for screening including whisper test, hand rub, audiometer, different questionnaire and using smart-phones. Different factors contribute to prognosis of hearing loss and psychological complications associated with deafness are a big concern for physicians. Many persons may not recognize changes in their hearing and others may be embarrassed or frustrated by their perceived deficits. As constant asking for repetition of information can be embarrassing. A focused otologic history with information on the chronicity and onset of hearing loss, along with otoscopy can help is early recognition and treatment. Physical exam along with history aid in the definitive diagnosis of hearing loss. Routine laboratory evaluation is insignificant unless a systemic illness is identified as a cause of hearing loss. Imaging studies could also be used to differentiate conductive hearing loss and, in some cases sensorineural hearing loss (asymmetric hearing loss) for diagnostic and treatment management, including surgical planning. Within 14 days of symptom onset in patients with sudden hearing loss, clinicians should obtain, or refer to a clinician who can obtain, audiometry as soon as possible to confirm the diagnosis of sudden sensorineural hearing loss. Another method for determining deafness is that the Hearing in Noise Test (HINT). Genetic testing could also be considered to be a strong tool for addressing hearing disorders in children. Medical therapy includes removal of impacted cerumen via irrigation, manually, cerumenolytics, and under microscopy. Sudden onset SNHL can be treated with a single dose of steroids. A surgical candidate is the patients with conductive hearing loss due to mechanical problems, such as perforation of the eardrum, ossicular disease, or a cholesteatoma in the middle ear. Hearing Aids and cochlear implantation technology and surgical techniques have advanced significantly. Hearing impairment can be prevented by preventing exposure to common risk factors, loud noise, ototoxic drugs, and trauma. There are no established measures for the secondary prevention of hearing loss. The use of hearing aids and cochlear implants is an expensive intervention for the patients experiencing hearing loss and it is one other major limiting factor for undergoing treatment if patient's insurance does not cover the cost. Age-related hearing loss has been independently associated with worse quality of life, depression, social isolation, functional decline, increase falls, increased hospitalization and health care use, and accelerated cognitive decline, and increase risk of dementia. Hearing aids or cochlear implants may improve communication, social and emotional function, and cognitive function. Use of somatic cell within the prospect of regrowth in cochlea cells is under study. The tablet-based automated audiometer presents a new method for threshold hearing assessment. Similarly video conferencing, flashing lights to signal events and other telecommunications devices are under study.
References
- ↑ "Speech and Language Terms and Abbreviations". Retrieved 2006-12-02.
- ↑ Nieman CL, Oh ES (2020). "Hearing Loss". Ann Intern Med. 173 (11): ITC81–ITC96. doi:10.7326/AITC202012010. PMID 33253610 Check
|pmid=value (help). - ↑ Lanvers-Kaminsky C, Zehnhoff-Dinnesen AA, Parfitt R, Ciarimboli G (2017). "Drug-induced ototoxicity: Mechanisms, Pharmacogenetics, and protective strategies". Clin Pharmacol Ther. 101 (4): 491–500. doi:10.1002/cpt.603. PMID 28002638.