Is age a factor in the progression of hearing loss? Hearing loss is a common slowly developing condition that affects all adults. In fact, over 50% of individuals 75 and older have trouble hearing.
Presbycusis
Presbycusis is defined as age-related hearing loss or the slow process of hearing loss as we age. There’s no one definitive cause for this to happen, but it is normally considered a combo of many factors.
As we grow older, our ears go through changes. There are tiny hair cells in your ears that detect waves of sound and communicate the signals to the brain to be translated as sound.
When these little hair cells become damaged or die, hearing loss is the result. Hearing loss that is the outcome of damage to these hairs is permanent as these hairs never regenerate.
Some of the causes of hearing loss include the following:
- Hearing loss can be genetics.
- Hearing loss risk is increased by certain drugs including chemotherapy drugs.
- The risk of hearing loss is increased by smoking.
- Loud noises such as going to concerts frequently or working in an environment with continual loud noise.
- Specific medical conditions like diabetes can result in hearing loss.
- Wearing headphones when listening to loud music can increase the risk.
Common symptoms of age-related hearing loss
When you have a hard time making out soft voices, kid’s voices, voices when there is a lot of background noise, and an overall lack of clarity when somebody speaks are all symptoms of Presbycusis.
Other signs of hearing loss include frequently asking people to repeat what they said, ringing in the ears, and needing to crank up the volume on the TV.
Dealing with age-related hearing loss is essential
Neglected hearing loss reduces quality of life. Anxiety, depression, sadness, social isolation, jeopardized relationships, and an increased risk of developing dementia are all ways that neglected hearing loss can have a negative impact on your quality of life.
These problems can, to a great degree, be avoided by getting your hearing loss treated with solutions such as hearing aids, telephone amplifiers, lip reading, a cochlear implant, or if your hearing loss is severe, sign language.
Suffering with age-related hearing loss isn’t something that anyone should have to do. There are ways to take pleasure in your life again.
Contact us today to schedule your hearing examination and to go over the best treatments for your hearing loss or for someone you love.
References
Older Adults — Hearing Health Foundation
Hearing Loss: A Common Problem for Older Adults | National Institute on Aging (nih.gov)
Seniors and Hearing Loss – American Academy of Audiology