Understanding hearing disorders
One Tom | Monday May 30, 2022 08:56
These bones increase the strength of the vibrations and pass them to the cochlea, a snail-shaped structure filled with fluid, in the inner ear. The cochlea is filled with fluid and contains tiny hair cells. The vibrations from the bones cause the fluid to ripple and in turn make the hair cells to bend. The tiny hair cells translate the vibrations from sound waves into electrical impulses that then travel along a complex pathway of nerve fibers to the brain, which recognises them as sound.
What is a hearing loss?
Hearing loss refers to a defect or damage to the hearing mechanism which may occur in any part of the ear, in one or both ears. It can be sudden or gradual and may initially not be noticeable, but can have many different causes. It may range in severity from mild to moderate to profound. Causes Hearing loss may be due to; • Ageing: If you are beyond the age of 60 years old, it’s possible that the hearing sensitivity has progressively worsened over the years. This gradual deterioration of hearing is often a result of prebycusis or age-related hearing loss.
• Impacted Earwax: earwax is a normal by-product of a healthy ear. It lubricates the ear canal and protects the canal and the eardrum. As the earwax is produced by the glands of the ear canal, it moves out of the ear canal by way of the tiny hairs lining the outer layer of the outer ear canal. Some people produce more earwax than others. Additionally, other people may disturb the natural earwax excretion process by inserting cotton buds and other foreign objects into their ear canal, attempting to remove the earwax. These objects often irritate the canal, which then results in increased earwax production, resulting in a total blockage of an area of the ear canal. Impacted earwax results in a temporary hearing loss.
• Perforated eardrum: There are several ways the eardrum can become perforated. A perforated eardrum is a hole of the eardrum that can occur as a result of infection, trauma (e.g., by trying to clean the ear with sharp instruments, or even a cotton bud), explosion or barotrauma. Because traumatic perforations often alter otherwise normal tissue, they often heal spontaneously. One common cause of TM perforations is related to the buildup of excessive pressure in the middle ear as a result of a middle ear disorder (e.g., eustachian tube dysfunction, infection, etc.). Those with more severe and long-standing ruptures may need to wear an earplug to avoid water (or other liquids) making contact with the eardrum, and entering the middle ear cavity.
• Exposure to excessive noise: Over time, repeated and prolonged exposure to sound in excess of 85 decibels (or dB, the unit of measure for sound) can cause hearing loss. To give you an idea, conversation runs at around 60dB, motorbikes 95dB, trucks between 90-110dB and gunshot at around 150dB.
• Oto-toxic medications (eg chemotherapy): oto-toxicity is a medical term for ear poisoning which results from exposure to drugs or chemicals that damage the inner ear or the vestibulo-cochlear nerve (the nerve sending balance and receiving/sending sounds from the inner ear to the brain). • Tumours (rare) • Genetics • Diseases or illness eg (Meniere’s Disease) • Head Trauma/injury • Ear Infection
Effects of hearing loss • Delayed or stunted speech and language development • Isolation • Depression • Frustration • Embarrassment • Can lead to poor academic performance • Unemployment • Tinnitus Can hearing loss be cured? Mostly NO • But it also depends on the cause, if it is wax causing a hearing loss, it can be removed and hearing will improve or restored. • Age-related, oto-toxicity and noise–induced hearing loss is usually permanent. It cannot be reversed.
Rehabilitative measures for permanent hearing loss • Hearing aids • Hearing tactics
How can one prevent hearing loss from occurring? • Avoid excessive loud noise exposure • Wear ear defenders when working in a noisy environment. • DO NOT USE COTTON BUDS or put any sharp object or match sticks in your ears. Do you have difficulty hearing others clearly, misunderstanding them, especially in noisy places, often asking people to repeat what they’ve said? Is it hard to concentrate on what people are saying, or do you find you want the television turned up louder than others? You can get a hearing test done at any Audiology clinic or see your Doctor for a referral. It is especially important to report sudden hearing loss, as the causes may be more serious. Audiology clinics run at the following local hospitals. Contact to make an appointment with an Audiologist. 1. Bamalete Lutheran Hospital Ramotswa (+ 267) 5381608/5381651
2. Princess Marina Hospital Gaborone (+ 267) 3190049/7
3. Sekgoma Memorial Hospital Serowe (+ 267) 4611000/4631096
4. Nyangabwe Referral Hospital Francistown (+ 267) 2411133
5. Letsholathebe II Memorial Hospital Maun (+ 267) 6879154