What causes hearing loss?
Click here to read more. • How long should my hearing aids last? Click here to read more. • My child has worn hearing aids since she was an infant and will be starting school this fall. The school has recommended she use an FM system. What is the benefit of an FM system? Click here to read more. • I have a very severe high frequency hearing loss. I have tried a number of hearing aids, but have not been satisfied. I want to understand speech better, but I don’t want to waste my time or my audiologist’s . Is there anything that might help? Click here to read more. • Recently, my 3 year old son had tubes put in his ear drums, for ear infections. I would like to enroll him in swimming lessons this summer, what can be done to keep the water out of his ears? Click here to read more. • My husband has a severe hearing loss and will travel a lot with his new job, I am concerned he will not hear the alarm clock or worse the fire alarm when he is at a hotel. Click here to read more.
There are many possible causes of hearing loss including: • Aging • Genetics • Noise • Trauma to the head • Infection • Meniere’s Disease • Tumors • Otosclerosis • Congenital Disorders • Physical blockage If you think you have a hearing loss, you should see an Ear, Nose, and Throat doctor, commonly referred to an an ENT, for a hearing test to determine the cause and whether or not it is permanent or temporary. 28 million Americans – 1 out of every 10 people have a hearing loss. You are not alone! After your hearing test, the doctor will advise you on whether or not you should consider hearing aids. The doctor will then refer you to an audiologist for a hearing aid fitting. To read a more complete discussion on causes of hearing loss from the Virginia Merrill Bloedel Hearing Reseach Center, click here.
About 50 percent of deafness is hereditary . Genetic hearing loss is not necessarily passed from parent to child, but may appear in other family members. More than 90 percent of the parents of deaf children are hearing people. Most hereditary hearing loss is recessive so both parents need to be carriers. Each parent carries a single copy of a deafness-causing mutation . The carrier rate in the general population for a recessive deafness-causing GJB2 mutation is about one in 33. Other factors that can cause hearing loss include accidents and injuries, constant high noise levels that eventually cause severe damage to the nerves of the ear, illness or infection, and drugs which adversely effect the organ of hearing. Rubella or other viral infections contracted by the pregnant mother may cause deafness in an unborn child. A problem during the birth process such as a cutoff in the supply of oxygen may affect hearing. Hearing loss may also be part of the aging process in older people and is
