Since hear loss typically occurs gradually, many people do not realize the damaging effects that occur with hear changes. As India ages and with Baby Boomers expected to live longer than any previous generation, hear impairment will reach new levels in coming decades. Currently, only about one in fifty people with hear loss seek appropriate treatment which is particularly alarming since untreated hear loss can lead to an increase in depression, feelings of anxiety and isolation from family and friends.
Lots of elderly peoples have some degree of hear loss due to genetics, the environment in which they surround themselves, or simply as a result of the aging process. With hear loss, it is often difficult to understand speech. What is not sufficiently appreciated is that the individual's emotional and mental state may also be affected by the erratic and disrupted communication patterns caused by hear loss. A person with hear loss is four times as likely to manifest psychological disturbances than a person with normal hear. There is also evidence that hear loss can exacerbate the behavioral picture of patients with Alzheimer's and other cognitive disorders, affecting memory, alertness, and general ability to cope, beyond the expected limiting factors of the disorder without the presence of hear loss.
Sensorineural hearing loss occurs in the inner ear and is the most common type of hearing loss caused by damage to the inner ear and/or auditory nerve due to one episode or more of prolonged exposure to loud noise, certain medications or simply the process of aging. Once damaged, the inner ear cannot be repaired. Sensorineural hearing decreases the ability to differentiate consonant sound (thus the fine distinctions in words such as hat versus cat). Most sensorineural hearing losses can be treated effectively with hearing loss aids.
Conductive hearing loss occurs in the outer and middle ear. The most common causes are wax build-up in the ear canal, middle ear infection, a hole in the tympanic membrane or damaged ossicles.03.Mixed Hearing Loss
In most cases, conductive hearing loss affects the lower frequencies or pitches and makes it difficult to hear vowel sounds. Since vowels contain the "power of speech," the individual with conductive hear loss perceives speech and other sounds as being much "quieter" than normal. The condition can often be medically treated.
Mixed hearing loss is a combination of a conductive and a sensorineural hear loss.
The Progression of hear loss in most cases is subtle from a small amount of hear loss to greater and greater loss. The implications vary depending on the degree of hear loss.
May have problems in difficult listening situations such as in groups or in noise. May need visual cues (to watch the speaker's face and especially lips) to understand some conversations and certain speakers. May need to sit close to the speaker to understand the conversation. If the problem is affecting the patient's ability to function normally in everyday life, they should probably consider amplification (hear aid) if the hear loss is not medically treatable.
Having difficulty understanding conversations on the telephone. Having difficulty understanding one-on-one conversations. People have to speak up for person to understand what is said. The problem is affecting the patient's ability to function normally in everyday life and they should consider amplification (hear aid) if the hear loss is not medically treatable.
Impossible to function in difficult listening situation such as in groups or in noise. Impossible to understand conversation on the telephone. Having difficulty understanding one-on-one conversations. People have to speak up for person to understand even part of what is said. Needs to sit close to the speaker to understand even part of the conversation. Need visual cues (to watch the speaker's face and especially lips) to understand even part of any conversation and any speaker. May have difficulty identifying loud environmental sounds (sirens, telephone ring, car horn, etc.) making safety a concern. The problem is affecting the patient's ability to function normally in everyday life and they should consider amplification (hear aid). If the hearing loss is medically treatable, it is most likely a mixed hear loss and may require amplification post-medical treatment.
With Profound hearing Loss, it is impossible to understand one-on-one conversations and the quality of the patient's speech is affected. The problem affected the ability to function normally in everday life. If the hear loss is medically treatable, it must be a mixed hearing loss, and will likely require amplification (hear aid) post medical treatment to detect speech.
The "shearing motion, " stimulating the hair cells, causes impulses to be sent beyond the cochlea, to the auditory (VIIIth) nerve. The auditory nerves carries the information to the brain via the brainstem for decoding. There are auditory centers in the brain that interpret the stimulus enabling the understanding of what is being heard. If these parts of the brain are badly damaged or are not stimulated for a long period of time, a patient may not be able to hear speech even at high levels despite the fact that the auditory nerve has transmitted it to the brain.
The inner ear, the end organ of hear, contains both the cochlea and the vestibular system that works to keep the body balanced (your equilibrium). The snail-shaped cochlea contains what are called "hair cells" that are not really hairs, but microscopic cells that connect to approximately 24,000 nerve fibers which are essential for hear. The rocking of the stapes in the oval window moves fluid within the cochlea causing a "shearing" action or movement of the hair cells. This shearing action causes the hair cells to send an electrical impulse to the auditory nerve (VIIIth nerve).
The middle ear contains the three smallest bones in the body: the malleus, incus and stapes. These bones conduct sound through the air filled middle ear and transfer the sound to the inner ear. These bones are known as the "ossicles" and are connected to form the "ossicular chain". The last bone in the chain is pushed in and out of the oval window of the cochlea. The Eustachian tube, which equalizes pressure between the ear and the environment, is also found in the middle ear.
The outer ear consists of the external ear (pinna or auricle), the ear canal (external auditory meatus) and the ear drum (tympanic membrane). The outer ear directs sound into the ear canal and carries it to the eardrum. When these sound vibration reach the eardrum, the eardrum begins to vibrate.
Tinnitus is a condition that may include roaring, buzzing, clicking, whistling, hissing, or high pitched ringing in the ears or inside the head. Tinnitus may be constant or occur intermittently in one or both ears and varies greatly among individuals ranging from a mils occasional sound to an ever present chronic condition.