About 20 percent of all Americans suffer some level of hearing loss. While hearing loss is common for older people as a usual part of aging, it can occur at any stage in a person's life. Depending on the type of hearing loss, it may be able to be corrected by wearing hearing aids or having surgical procedures performed to repair the problem that is causing it. These are some common causes of hearing loss.
Ear Wax Build Up
Everyone has a certain amount of ear wax in their ears. This helps keep the ear canal moist so that irritation does not occur. However, ear wax can build up over time if the ears are not cleaned regularly. Some people also naturally produce more ear wax than others and this can cause ear wax to build up more quickly.
When ear wax builds up in the ears, it blocks the path that sound travels through. This can lead to mild hearing loss, hearing that always sounds fuzzy or muffled or total hearing loss if the ear wax becomes tightly compacted in the ear canal. Fortunately, this can normally be corrected by having the ears professionally cleaned out by a physician.
Chronic Ear Infections
Some people are more prone to getting ear infections than others. This is often triggered by allergies that cause fluid to drain into the ear canal. If left untreated, chronic ear infections can cause permanent hearing loss.
Therefore, at the first sign of pain in the ears, drainage from the ears or a raw irritated feeling inside the ears, it is important to seek medical care immediately. If caught early enough, ear infections can usually be cured with antibiotics.
Ruptured Eardrums
If the eardrum has ruptured, it is likely that some degree of permanent hearing loss will occur. A ruptured eardrum can happen due to sudden extremely loud blasts of noise, a change in pressure in the ears, an injury to the head or getting poked in the eardrum with a sharp object. This condition may or may not be able to be surgically repaired depending on the severity of the rupture.
Abnormal Growths Or Tumors
Abnormal growths and tumors can also develop inside the ear canal and this can cause hearing loss. This condition normally requires surgery to remove the growths. However, the hearing may or may not return even after the surgery is completed and the patient is healed. The patient may also regain only partial hearing and need to wear a hearing aid to improve his ability to hear.
There are also certain diseases of the ear that can cause hearing loss. Among these are Ménière's disease and autoimmune inner ear disease. These conditions often occur suddenly for no apparent reason. However, if treated early with the proper medications, some degree of the hearing may be retained.
Visit a company like Jacobs Clinical Diagnostics for more information.
Share29 December 2016
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