The Effects of Hearing Loss

Hearing loss can be a debilitating problem for some people and, at the very least, inconvenient for others. Approximately 10% of the population suffers from hearing loss and many infants are born deaf every year. Sometimes, though, your lifestyle can lead to a loss of hearing over several years or with an event causing sudden hearing loss. For this reason, protecting your ears with certain measures can help you retain a maximum sense of hearing for your lifetime. There are three common types of hearing loss, according to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association's (ASHA) web site. The first is called conductive hearing loss, where muffled or faint sounds can't be heard because of a blockage in the outer ear canal. This can occur from wax build-up or even damage to the small bones inside the middle ear. Conductive hearing loss can usually be corrected with surgery. Sensorineural hearing loss occurs when damage is done to the cochlea within the inner ear or to the nerve endings leading to the brain. This type of damage can occur because of an illness, disease, injury, or even medications. This type of hearing loss can't be corrected with a surgical procedure. A mixed loss of hearing occurs when there is damage to both the inner and outer ear.

The ASHA lists several causes for hearing loss in adults. Disease and infection can lead to a loss of hearing, as well as certain medications and traumas to the head region. People commonly associate sudden hearing loss with exposure to loud noises at work or from listening to music, but this is not always the case. Meniere's disease involves the membrane of the inner ear, and characterized by a ringing in the ear, deafness, or vertigo. Otosclerosis is a disease that affects the middle part of the ear and disrupts the movement of a tiny bone, called a stapes. Sudden hearing loss can occur when you are exposed to some sort of trauma, such as a ruptured eardrum or even a sudden change in air pressure. Noise levels can also lead to a loss of hearing if you are exposed to high levels over a prolonged time. Hearing loss in children is an entirely different situation. One of the most common types of hearing loss in children involves a build-up of fluid that leads to inflammation in the ear. Commonly referred to as Otis media, this is generally a temporary condition that can be fixed. On the other hand, congenital hearing loss in children is a condition that happens at birth and it's often genetic. Several factors can contribute to congenital hearing loss, including maternal diabetes or a premature birth. Even though many people suffer from hearing loss, there are ways to avoid it. The first step is to visit a hearing professional, such as an audiologist, for diagnosis. Whether a case of sudden loss of hearing has happened or there has been a gradual decline in hearing over a long period of time, an audiologist can suggest hearing aids or other remedies to help you deal with the problem. Even children who suffer from hearing loss can benefit from these instruments. Be sure to take care of your hearing before it's too late. By Denise Nuttall,

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How is Adult Hearing Loss Evaluated

Of the estimated 28 million American patients of hearing loss problems, 54 % adults older than age 65 suffer from significant hearing loss. This makes hearing loss the third most frequently reported chronic medical condition in America. To determine whether adult hearing loss has occurred in grown ups, audiologists conduct different tests for a complete hearing evaluation. After confirmation of the hearing loss problems, adult hearing loss is treated by a variety of methods including hearing aids, aural habilitation, and cochlear implantation etc. Hearing loss in adults is caused by a number of factors including infection or disease, drugs, continuous and excessive exposure to noise, trauma, or aging process. Sometimes the hearing loss is accompanied by ringing in the ears, sometimes there is no ringing. Who Should Take a Hearing Loss Test? Anyone who suspects some degree of hearing loss should undergo hearing tests. Most commonly people come to doubt the efficiency of their hearing when they start experiencing difficulty in correct understanding of conversation between persons or on phone. People who have a family history of adult hearing loss or those who are exposed to loud noise during work should also have their hearing checked. Following tests are included as part of the comprehensive hearing test.

Pure Tone Testing In this test, the audiologist will ask to report hearing a series of tones after your ears have been plugged with foam plugs. The softest sounds that you can hear are plotted by the audiologist who will also test you for several different frequencies with a bone conductor. Speech Audiometry Two hearing tests make speech audiometry. First, you will be tested for the softest level at which you are able to repeat words, usually of two syllables. The second test will check your ability of comprehending speech at a moderately loud level of listening. Acoustic Immittance Measures This adult hearing loss test determines the movement of the eardrum and that of the middle ear by placing a soft plug in the subject’s ear. It detects any problem in the eardrum or middle ear that may cause hearing loss. Acoustic Reflex Testing The acoustic reflex of the subject is tested by presenting several loud tones after placing a soft plug into each ear canal. By this means, the function of the middle ear is thoroughly tested. Specialized Hearing Loss Tests Based on the audiometric testing or the subject’s own particular case, the audiologist may suggest specialized tests including: Auditory Brainstem Response, Threshold Auditory Brainstem Response, Electrocochleography, and Otoacoustic Emissions. Why one should take hearing loss test? By Michael Folker Jr.

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FDA - Impotence Drugs May Increase Risk For Sudden Hearing Loss

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration: men taking any of three erectile dysfunction drugs -- Viagra, Levitra or Cialis -- may be at increased risk for sudden hearing loss, prompting Food and Drug Administration officials to require label changes for the medications. Now more then ever, men are seeking a safe alternative to prescription impotence drugs such as Viagra. The FDA recently informed manufacturers that they must change verbiage on labels "to display more prominently the potential risk of sudden hearing loss," according to the FDA's Web site. In addition to the erectile dysfunction treatment drugs Viagra, Levitra, and Cialis, labeling verbiage must also be changed for the medication Revatio, used to treat high blood pressure, which has the same active ingredient as the other drugs. Men taking any of the erectile dysfunction drugs and who experience a sudden hearing loss should immediately cease using the drug and see their physician, the agency said. Patients, both men and women, taking Revatio who experience a hearing loss should continue taking the drug, but see their physicians immediately. These patients should not discontinue immediately because it is used to treat a potentially life-threatening condition, the FDA said.

The FDA is requiring the label change for the entire class of drugs -- called Phosphodiesterase Type 5 Inhibitor, or PD-5 inhibitors. Some men who need to treat their erectile dysfunction condition with medications such as Viagra have looked to the online pharmacies as a source of inexpensive, even cheap, Viagra. Having heard that sometimes things are more available and cheaper online, Viagra patients were often surprised to learn that brand name Viagra can actually cost much more when purchased online. Guys wanting to find cheap viagra online had sometimes heard of viagra alternatives that was available without a prescription. And it is true that one can get Viagra alternatives inexpensively buy purchasing herbal viagra from an online source that sells generic erection medications. Viagra is after all simply a brand name impotence drug that is actually made of sildenafil citrate. All over the world sildenafil citrate is sold to men with problems getting an erection under various names. You can expect to pay around $1 a pill for herbal viagra alternative and generally you'll receive the impotence cure in a matter of days without the inconvenience of a doctors visit, filling the prescription, etc. By Bob Mann

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