
What is hearing loss?
Hearing loss is basically the inability to hear from one or both ears. This inability can be either partial or total, and is considered a normal process caused by aging. However, there are certain factors that can speed up this process and can even cause a total loss of hearing in very young people. Have you noticed that you need to pay more attention to what people say in order to hear their voices? Or that it is difficult for you to distinguish certain sounds in noisy areas? These may be the first signs of hearing loss, and even though this condition is not reversible in most cases, it can be delayed and treated.
- Important notification about information and brand names used in this slideshow!
- Photo courtesy of Dicklyon by Wikimedia Commons : en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Cochlea-crosssection.png
- www.earinfo.com/hearing-aids-faq/hearing-loss
- http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Hearing-impairment/Pages/Causes.aspx
- http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/hearing-loss-cause
- http://www.hearingloss.org/content/basic-facts-about-hearing-loss
- http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/29/hearing-loss-common-noise-that-cause-permanent-damage_n_3503119.html
- http://www.asha.org/public/hearing/disorders/types.htm
- http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003044.htm

Four types of hearing loss
Depending on which ear structures have been damaged, hearing loss can be divided into four types. The first one is conductive hearing loss and is caused by alterations in the ear canal, eardrum or the middle ear and the little bones. Sensorineural hearing loss is the second type of condition, and it is caused by problems in the inner ear, or hearing nerve. The third type is a combination of the two first types and is known as mixed hearing loss. Finally, the fourth type is known as auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder. It is related to an alteration in the way information is transmitted from the ear to the brain. So even when your ear is working properly, the brain has difficulty processing this information.
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- Photo courtesy of NCVO London by Flickr : www.flickr.com/photos/ncvophotos/8622117438/
- www.hearingloss.org/content/types-causes-and-treatment
- http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/hearingloss/types.html
- http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/hearing/pages/neuropathy.aspx

Aging and hearing loss
Hearing loss is a natural consequence of aging. Not only our hair goes white and wrinkles appear on our face; every cell in our body ages as well. There are specific cells, named hair cells, located in the inner ear that comprise one of the main components of the hearing process. As time goes by, these cells get damaged or die, and they don’t have the ability to regrow. Because of this, hearing ability reduces over time. You can delay this process by protecting your ears from harmful sounds and keeping good hygiene habits to avoid obstruction and damage of your ear.

Turn down the volume
Did you know that noise could be harmful? There is noise everywhere, from the cars, the T.V., the people talking… All those noises lay in a range of intensity that our ears can tolerate. However, there are situations where the noise intensity is so high that it becomes harmful to the small structures that compose our ear. Noise induced hearing loss is caused by intense acute noise, like an explosion, or by chronic exposure to harmful noise, like the noise generated in a factory. Loud concerts and listening to music through headphones are also considered harmful noises that could potentially cause hearing loss. To avoid this problem, you have to protect your ears if you know you will be exposed to harmful noises and get tested regularly to detect any alterations.
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- Photo courtesy of Mark Richardson by Flickr : www.flickr.com/photos/kalooz/4002095356/
- www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/hearing/pages/noise.aspx

Born with hearing loss
Several studies conducted in the US and Europe have shown that 1 to 2 out of 1000 babies suffer from hearing loss. Hearing is a vital capacity during the first years of life. Children with hearing loss can develop speech problems if their problem is not treated on time. Fortunately, hearing screenings are performed in children during their first months of life and these screenings are performed regularly later in childhood. You can detect hearing problems in your child by paying attention to his or her behavior: at 3 months old babies should be able to recognize their parent’s voice; by 6 months of age, they recognize and follow other sounds; and by 12 months, your baby should be able to say simple syllables or words.
- Important notification about information and brand names used in this slideshow!
- Photo courtesy of David Fulmer by Flickr : www.flickr.com/photos/daveynin/6945446567/
- kidshealth.org/parent/general/eyes/hear.html#
- http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/hearingloss/data.html
- http://www.asha.org/public/hearing/disorders/causes.htm

Beware of viral and bacterial infections
Some medical conditions can derive into hearing loss. Meningitis, a viral or bacterial infection that causes inflammation of the meninges, is one of the main causes of hearing loss. The meninges are the membranes that protect the brain and the spinal cord. When they swell up, they compress the brain and other structures, including hearing structures in the inner ear. This compression can cause from mild to severe hearing loss but if meningitis is treated on time, ear damage can be prevented and hearing loss can be reversed. Some of the symptoms of meningitis are nausea and vomit, fever, light sensitivity and alteration of mental state.

More about conductive hearing loss
This type of hearing loss doesn’t have to do with damage to the hearing system, but to a poor conduction of sound through the ear conduct, from the outer structures to the middle ones. It is caused by the obstruction of the ear canal due to infection and inflammation, presence of liquid in the middle ear, allergies, perforation of the eardrum, impacted earwax and malformations of the external or middle ear, as well as tumors. Conductive hearing loss can be reversed just by cleaning the ear canal correctly or if needed, by surgical removal of whatever is obstructing the canal, including tumors and foreign bodies.
- Important notification about information and brand names used in this slideshow!
- Photo courtesy of U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Christopher Toon by Wikimedia Commons : commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Otoscope_exam.JPG
- www.asha.org/public/hearing/conductive-hearing-loss/

Acoustic trauma, like a car crash to your ears
Acoustic trauma is the final consequence of being exposed to harmful noise. Trauma refers to damage and when the noise is too intense and you are exposed to it for a long period of time, it can damage the hearing mechanisms of the inner ear. When the ear gets damaged to this extent, there is nothing else to do but prevent the injury from getting worse. If acoustic trauma is diagnosed, eardrum surgery might even be needed, depending on the damage. The ear and its components are very delicate. Try to prevent any injury by wearing protection when exposed to loud noises and be aware of what certain activities, such as gun shooting or motorcycle riding, can do to your ear.

All the better to hear you with...
Hearing aids are the most common devices to improve hearing in people that have from mild to severe hearing loss. They are small devices that can be worn inside or outside the ear and can be adjusted to the patients needs. There are other devices that can make a person’s life with hearing loss way much easier. These kinds of devices, known as hearing assistive technology, are designed to expand the functionality of hearing aids and give patients the ability to hear without interferences. When the damage is too severe and hearing aids no longer help the patients, they have the option of getting a cochlear implant, which is inserted surgically behind the ear.
- Important notification about information and brand names used in this slideshow!
- Photo courtesy of themostinept by Flickr : www.flickr.com/photos/46123010@N04/9115159515/
- www.hearingloss.org/content/hearing-assistive-technology
- http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/hearing/pages/hearingaid.aspx#hearingaid_01

Medication and surgery to reverse hearing loss
Some types of hearing loss are caused by malformations of the hearing structures. These cases can be treated with surgery. For example, otosclerosis, a genetic form of conductive loss, can be reversed by prosthesis implantation. Sensorineuronal hearing loss, on the other hand, can be treated with medication, since it is mainly caused by inflammation and liquid accumulation inside the ear. The most common treatment for this type of disorder is based on corticosteroids, which reduce inflammation caused by trauma and injury of any of the ear components. In some cases, hearing loss is caused by tumors, which can be removed surgically, preventing further damage and improving the patient’s hearing ability.
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