Hearing Loss

More than 100 years ago, Helen Keller, who was deaf and blind, described the isolation caused by hearing loss aptly when she contended that:

“Sight connects people to things... Hearing connects people to people.”

As hearing loss progresses gradually over time, it can be hard to read the signs. Initially, it may be family members or friends who notice the hearing difficulties.

Left untreated, sufferers will increasingly become isolated, frustrated, and earning lower incomes due to decreased effectiveness in the workplace. It also leads to increased risk of serious health issues, including depression, decline in memory and concentration, and even early onset dementia.

Conversely, when people take the steps to address their difficulties, and do this as early as possible, they are able to fully enjoy the sounds that really matter – conversations, music, nature and laughter.

There are three forms of hearing loss: conductive, sensorineural, and mixed hearing loss.

Conductive hearing loss

This loss results from a problem with the passage of sound through the outer ear and/or middle ear. Some common examples include

Excessive cerumen (earwax) in the ear canal
Perforation of the eardrum
Middle ear infection with fluid build-up

However, conductive hearing loss accounts for only 10% of all hearing losses, and they range from mild to moderate in severity. Conductive hearing loss can often be medically treated, and in some cases, hearing can be completely restored.

Sensorineural hearing loss

Also known as “nerve deafness”, this is the most common type of hearing loss and originates in the inner ear. Common causes include:

Genetic factors (hearing loss can run in families)
Excessive noise exposure – either sudden or prolonged
Changes in the inner ear due to ageing

Less common causes include:

Reactions to ear-toxic medications
Acoustic neuroma (a benign tumor that can develop on the cochlear nerve)
Conditions acquired prior to birth (congenital)
Infections such as meningitis and mumps
Kidney disease
Vascular disease

Each cause can lead to damage to the sensory hair cells or nerves. Once damaged, the hair cells can’t repair themselves or be medically treated. Therefore, 90% of cases of sensorineural hearing loss cannot be reversed. In more than 95% of cases involving sensorineural hearing loss, hearing aids are the recommended course of treatment.

Mixed hearing loss

When hearing loss occurs from a condition in the inner ear as well as the outer and/or middle ear, this is known as “mixed hearing loss”. An example of mixed hearing loss may be someone with inner-ear damage due to exposure to noise in his or her workplace over many years, who also currently has an infection that has led to a fluid build-up in the middle ear.

While the aging process is a major contributor to hearing loss, it is certainly not a condition reserved for the later stages of life. Studies have shown that exposure to noise is thought to be a contributing factor in around 34% of cases – and interestingly, around 50% of Australians with hearing loss are still of traditional working age (i.e. under 65 years).

Other factors contributing to hearing loss can be viewed in the chart shown here.

Noise-induced hearing loss

Given the impact of noise in traditionally male-dominated fields such as factories, military service and construction, American males are considerably more likely to have hearing loss than women – including being twice as likely to have a moderate to severe hearing loss.

These days, people are more aware of the damage that noise can do to their hearing. This is illustrated through the mandatory provision of ear protection on work sites and in factories.

Nevertheless, every day, millions of Australians are exposing themselves to noise levels that will surely lead to long-term damage to their hearing, including the use of personal stereo systems by the youth of the nation.

Hearing Loss

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