Hearing Loss:
Help is Available
Hearing loss is the third most common chronic health condition in the United States. It affects ten percent of the population – a conservative estimate given that many people needlessly avoid seeking help. In the United States, hearing loss affects:
- Two percent of all infants
- 17 out of every 1,000 school-aged children
- 8 million people between the ages of 18 and 44
- One–third of all adults over age 60
- One-half of all adults over age 85
- Over 30 million people overall
Nearly 95 percent of people with hearing impairments can be helped with hearing aids.
Risk Indicators for Hearing Loss
- Delayed speech and language development
- Childhood infectious diseases such as mumps and measles
- Recurrent ear infections
- Exposure to extreme noise levels such as from music, lawn mowers, vacuums, machinery and loud toys
- Exposure to extreme noise during military service
- Concussion or skull fracture
- Use of certain medications that damage hearing
- Allergies
Common Hearing Disorders
High frequency (high pitched) hearing loss is the most prevalent condition in the hearing impairment spectrum. It can occur with advancing age and is commonly associated with noise exposure.
Ringing in the ears (tinnitus) affects about 12 million people in the United States – at least one million are affected severely enough to interfere with daily activities. People over age 50 are twice as likely to experience tinnitus.
Balance Disorders
Many times, inner ear problems cause people to fall. Falls are the leading cause of injury in people age 65 and older. Balance problems, or vertigo, prompt about six million U.S. residents to seek care each year. Nearly all balance disorders are caused by inner ear problems, and most patients – more than 85 percent – benefit from audiological treatment.
Hearing healthcare is constantly improving due to new and improved technology, as well as specialize care by Doctors of Audiology. Audiologists:
- Diagnose and treat hearingproblems, including balance function and other disorders
- Treat most hearing impairments with modern earware, including programmable and digital hearing aids
- Develop and implement prevention strategies, screenings and early detection programs
- Recommend hearing protection in industrial and military settings, as well as during travel, with music and in other noisy environments
- Provide training in lip reading and understanding sounds, as well as with electronic devices that can provide additional hearing assistance at home or in daily activities (such as with home communication systems or TV enhancements)