| As the age of the population is getting older, more | | | | ear. This can be caused by a number of problems |
| and more people will be suffering from some form of | | | | such as - damage to the middle ear, hammer, anvil or |
| hearing loss. Hearing loss affects about two out of | | | | stirrup, caused by infection or head injury, hardening |
| every ten adults in the U.K. Most of these people are | | | | of the middle ear bones, making them less able to |
| over 60 years old whose hearing has deteriorated | | | | vibrate. Perforated ear drum, caused by infection, a |
| over a number of years. This is not however | | | | blow to the ear or poking something into the ear, |
| exclusively so as hundreds of children are born with | | | | collection of fluid in the middle ear. Sensor neural |
| some hearing loss or are even profoundly deaf. | | | | hearing loss is caused by damage to the auditory |
| Hearing loss can affect your life in many ways, such | | | | nerve or the hair cells within the cochlea. Damage to |
| as finding it difficult to hear and understand people | | | | the hair cells is nearly always caused by continuous |
| when you are in a noisy place or in a crowd. Initially it | | | | loud noises. Most hearing loss occurs because of the |
| is advisable to see your own G.P. as the problem | | | | decline of the natural responses of the hair cells in |
| may not be as serious as you first think. He will look | | | | the cochlea. Measles, mumps and meningitis can also |
| into your ears using a special instrument to check to | | | | cause loss of hearing, whereas Mainers disease also |
| see if there are any obvious problems that are | | | | causes hearing loss as well as tinnitus, which is a |
| causing the loss of hearing. You may just have wax | | | | constant ringing, buzzing or humming noise in the ear. |
| in the ear channel which is stopping sound waves | | | | Any sudden deafness should be regarded as an |
| getting to the ear drum. You may have an infection | | | | emergency and is usually treatable if diagnosed very |
| in the ear channel which is blocking the sound which | | | | quickly by a doctor. |
| can be cured by antibiotics both of which can be | | | | If you decide that your hearing loss is not caused by |
| treated by your GP and quickly overcome any | | | | any serious problem but is the result of age, the next |
| hearing loss. | | | | stage is to take a hearing test which will confirm to |
| There are two main causes of hearing loss, | | | | you what hearing loss you are suffering. The |
| Conductive hearing loss and Sensor neural hearing | | | | hearing loss generally experienced is either in high |
| loss. | | | | frequency or just low frequencies, but a full hearing |
| Conductive hearing loss is caused by anything that | | | | test will identify exactly what hearing you have. |
| stops sound from the outer ear travelling to the inner | | | | |