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Hearing loss is a problem both within the United States and worldwide. Today, hearing loss ranks as one of the leading chronic health conditions our country deals with, as more than 30 million Americans live with hearing loss.
What’s more, the World Health Organization warns that we are looking at a hearing loss health crisis in the coming decades. They estimate that 1.5 billion people currently have hearing loss around the globe and expect that number to rise to a mind-boggling 2.5 billion cases by 2030.
How hearing loss works
The greatest predictor of hearing loss is age, and age-related hearing loss is by far the most common type experienced. Other causes of permanent hearing loss range from noise-induced (exposure to excessive volumes), illness and injury.
In both age-related hearing loss and the other causes listed previously, the difficulty in hearing generally stems from damage to the tissues and cells of the inner ear. Our outer ears get a lot of the spotlight in our sense of hearing, yet the system functions on a whole and is dependent upon many factors.
One such factor are the tiny inner ear cells that receive sound from the world. They translate this noise into sound information, in the form of electrical signals, which are then sent to the brain via the auditory nerve. In our brain’s processing center, these signals become meaning and language.
As we age, many cells within the body become susceptible to decay. The inner ear cells are no exception. As their health fades, they don’t repair themselves or produce new ones. Instead, we are able to gather less of the world’s noise, our brains receive less sound information and we hear less.
The impact of untreated hearings loss
While it may be true that living longer lives means an increase in cases of hearing loss, we don’t have to live with unacknowledged or untreated hearing issues. While age-related and noise-induced hearing loss is likely permanent, it is also a highly treatable condition. However, people in the United States and abroad are unlikely to seek intervention.
Most Americans wait an average of ten years before intervening in hearing loss with hearing aids. That means that many of us wait until our hearing gets really bad before we decide to do something about it. But the cost of doing nothing is quite high. Undiagnosed and untreated hearing loss can increase symptoms of depression, make people feel socially isolated and damage our most important relationships.
One way that global health leaders would like to shift the conversation around hearing is to prioritize access to ongoing professional hearing care and spotlight the importance of hearing aids for emotional, physical and mental wellbeing.
The relationship between hearing loss and cognition
Experts are also more certain now than ever before on the strong link between hearing health and cognition. We know that intervening in hearing loss is one way to lower a person’s risk of a future dementia or Alzheimer’s Disease diagnosis.
Right now, hearing loss increases instances of cognitive decline, like dementia. In a study from Johns Hopkins, researchers found that mild hearing loss doubles a person’s chances of dementia and moderate hearing loss triples that risk.
Symptoms of hearing loss
One hurdle that stands between us and treating hearing loss continues to be how difficult the condition is to self-diagnose. The early signs are quite subtle, so that at first speech clarity problems arise. It sounds like everyone is mumbling. A person might begin having trouble having conversations on the phone or need to turn their television volume way up in order to catch dialogue.
These changes begin almost imperceptibly and continue to progress so slowly that oftentimes, it is family and friends who notice changes in behavior first. The best way to determine if hearing loss is present is through a professional consultation.
Schedule a hearing consultation today
Our team of hearing health professionals are here to assist you on your path to healthier hearing. We’ll guide you through a simple hearing exam to find out whether you are dealing with hearing loss and if you would be a good candidate for treatment.