You’re not alone if your doctor recently inform you that you have presbycusis, a medical term for age-related hearing loss. According to statistics from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, around one-third of persons between the ages of 65 and 70 have some hearing loss. Hearing loss affects almost half of all adults aged 75 and older.
Never disregard hearing loss in old age.
Contrary to popular belief, hearing loss is not “just part of getting older.” Hearing is a crucial brain activity, much like visual. Auditory deprivation can result from untreated hearing loss, even modest hearing loss.
Hearing health = brain health.
Why does this occur?
Our hearing can be impact as we age due to deterioration in the inner ear and along the nerve routes to the brain. The majority of the time, these alterations are connecting to the condition of the inner ear’s microscopic hair cells, which aid in hearing. These hair cells convert the sound waves that our ears pick up into electrical impulses that the brain can recognise as sound.
Any hearing loss we experience as a result of this injury is irreversible since hair cells cannot grow back or regenerate.
Symptoms
Typically, presbycusis impairs a person’s capacity to detect high-pitched noises. People may have trouble hearing others as the illness worsens, especially in noisy environments.
The symptoms mentioned above can make social interactions difficult. As a result, a person with presbycusis may notice a decline in their quality of life as well as social isolation, despair, and a diminished sense of self-worth.
Prevention
Early prevention of noise exposure and other risk factors can lessen the symptoms of presbycusis later in life by preventing harm to the inner ear’s hair cells.
Controlling conditions including diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease may enhance circulation and lessen presbycusis symptoms.
Preventing or reducing the adverse effects associated with presbycusis can also be accomplished by avoiding drugs harmful to the ear, such as certain antibiotics and aspirin. However, it might not always be possible to do so. Before stopping the use of any drug, patients should always consult their doctor.
How does it affect my hearing?
Age-related hearing loss (ARHL) often develops gradually over many years. It often results in high-frequency hearing loss, which makes higher-pitched sounds more challenging to hear, and typically affects both ears simultaneously (known as “bilateral hearing loss”).
This makes it difficult to distinguish between particular consonants while hearing someone speak, resulting in words like “that” and “sat” sounding alike.
Types of presbycusis
One of the most prevalent forms of sensorineural hearing loss is presbycusis, which indicates that hearing loss is linked to the degeneration of inner ear cells or nerve routes to the brain.
A person may have more than one kind of presbycusis; there are a few less prevalent variants with somewhat different symptoms and onset times. Canadian Hearing Services claims:
- Metabolic presbycusis is a reduction of blood supply in the inner ear.
- Mechanical presbycusis is the thickening of the tissues within the inner ear.
- Mixed presbycusis is a combination of any of these.
- Indeterminate presbycusis is the term when a cause can be determined — and it’s the most common.
Will I lose my hearing as I get older?
It primarily relies on your medical and genetic background and how much noise you have been exposed to throughout time. A gun enthusiast faces a considerably greater danger than a gardener. Veterans may be more at risk for hearing loss (and tinnitus) as they age due to the nature of their profession. Several reasons, including often causing presbycusis
- Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). Prolonged exposure to excessive noise at work, home or leisure activities can cause this hearing loss. This is by far the most significant risk factor!
- Did your parents have hearing loss? You may have inherited that tendency, too.
- Certain medical conditions affect the blood supply to the middle ear, such as heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and other circulatory problems. Some women may experience hearing loss after menopause or notice increased tinnitus.
- Ototoxic medications are drugs that can affect hearing. For example, toxic side effects of certain medications, such as aspirin and antibiotics, can negatively affect your hearing. Older adults are more likely to take medication and experience side effects than younger adults.
What are the symptoms of hearing loss in old age?
Since presbycusis develops gradually, many people are unaware that they are experiencing hearing loss. The following signs of presbycusis may be present in elderly people who have hearing issues:
- Other folks appear to be stuttering or mumbling their words. You discover that you can hear but not comprehend, in other words.
- Understanding conversations can be challenging, especially when there is background noise
- Some noises appear too obnoxious or loud.
- You have trouble hearing noises of a higher pitch, such the phone ringing or birds tweeting (hearing aids are great for birders)
- Women’s and children’s voices are harder to comprehend than men’s voices.
- You have tinnitus, which is a persistent ringing, buzzing, or hissing sound in one or both of your ears.
How is hearing loss brought on by ageing diagnosed?
Make an appointment to visit a hearing healthcare specialist as soon as possible for a hearing evaluation if any of the symptoms we’ve listed are impacting your hearing. The outcomes of this assessment will assist in identifying the origin, severity, and ideal course of action for addressing your hearing loss.
Is there a cure for presbycusis?
You can always use hearing aids.
There is no remedy for this kind of sensorineural hearing loss. Thankfully, the majority of sensorineural hearing loss situations are treatable. Remember that there is no upper age restriction for using hearing aids; persons in their 80s, 90s, and beyond can do so.
- Hearing devices. Hearing aids may be helpful for those with mild to severe hearing loss. A hearing healthcare specialist will prescribe the kind and style of hearing aids based on the degree of your hearing loss, your lifestyle choices, and your budget after conducting a complete hearing evaluation.
How to get help for presbycusis
The most important thing is to get your hearing tested, and if you’re told you have hearing loss, then take the prescribed treatments. Visit our directory of hearing clinics for a list of local hearing healthcare specialists and verified patient reviews.
Outlook
There is no approved drug to treat or prevent presbycusis. Age-related hearing loss is an issue that gets worse as people live longer.
Treatment regimens and methods for managing symptoms can significantly enhance a person’s quality of life. In addition to assisting with hearing, they can lessen emotions of loneliness, social tension, melancholy, anxiety, and self-esteem problems.
Presbycusis worsens over time, thus it’s critical that people receive routine monitoring so that can be customise treatment programmes can be modified as needed to meet changing needs.
Lastly, hearing test is a good first step if you experience tinnitus, since it can rule out medical causes for the condition (such as medications that cause tinnitus as a side effect).
If you are looking for hearing test in Singapore, contact the professional hearing specialist from Jglasseshearing to schedule your hearing- test appointment. Thanks for your reading.
Article published by Setuppost.com
