Over 5% of the world’s population has disabling hearing loss (432 million adults and 34 million children). It is estimated that by 2050 over 900 million people or one in every ten people will have disabling hearing loss. Deafness refers to the inability to understand speech through hearing even when sound is amplified.

In a healthy ear, sound waves enter the ear canal and vibrate the eardrum at the end of the canal. The eardrum transmits sound waves across the three tiny bones of the middle ear into the inner ear, where the information is converted to electrical impulses (that travel along nerves to the brain), allowing us to hear.

Hearing Loss is a general term given to complete or partial loss of hearing ability from one or both ears. It is one of the most common sensory impairments seen in almost 10% of the adult population. The percentage of hearing loss markedly increases with ageing.

There are two main types of hearing loss:

• Conductive hearing loss: Children have a problem transmitting sound waves through the outer ear, through the eardrum, or through the tiny bones of the middle ear.
• Sensorineural hearing loss: Here, the problem is with converting sound waves to electrical impulses, or in transmitting this electrical sound information along the auditory nerves to the brain.

More severe hearing loss can be described according to severity, as follows:

• Mild hearing loss: Hearing loss of 20 to 40 decibels.
• Moderate hearing loss: Hearing loss of 41 to 60 decibels.
• Severe hearing loss: Hearing loss of 61 to 80 decibels.
• Profound hearing loss or deafness: Hearing loss of more than 81 decibels.

Profound hearing loss of more than 81 decibels is considered to be deafness. Deafness is defined as “a hearing impairment that is so severe that the child is impaired in processing linguistic information through hearing, with or without amplification. It is condition that prevents an individual from receiving sound in all or most of its forms.

In contrast, a child with a hearing loss can generally respond to auditory stimuli, including speech. But, 'Deaf' people mostly have profound hearing loss, which implies very little or no hearing. They often use sign language for communication.

CAUSES OF DEAFNESS:

There are various reasons why deafness occurs and may include many different causes, including injury, disease, genetic defects or ageing.

Congenital Causes: Congenital causes may lead to deafness being present at or acquired soon after birth. Deafness can be caused by hereditary and non-hereditary genetic factors or by certain complications during pregnancy and childbirth, including:

• Maternal rubella, syphilis or certain other infections during pregnancy
• Low birth weight
• Birth asphyxia (lack of oxygen at the time of birth);
• Inappropriate use of particular drugs during pregnancy, such as aminoglycosides, cytotoxic drugs, antimalarial drugs, and diuretics;
• Severe jaundice in the neonatal period, which can damage the hearing nerve in a newborn infant.

ACQUIRED CAUSES

Acquired causes may lead to hearing loss at any age, such as:

• Buildup of fluid behind the eardrum
• Ear infections (known as otitis media)
• Infectious diseases including meningitis, measles and mumps
• Childhood diseases, such as mumps, measles, or chicken pox, and
• Head trauma
• Excessive noise, including occupational noise such as that from machinery and explosions;
• Wax or foreign bodies blocking the ear canal.
• Degeneration of sensory cells as part of ageing.

DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OPTIONS OF DEAFNESS

Without a newborn hearing test, the average age at which congenital deafness is diagnosed is 2 years old. Children whose deafness is treated in the first months of life, gain critical time and perform far better on developmental tests than those whose diagnosis is delayed.

The National Institutes of Health and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend that all babies have their hearing tested, preferably before they first leave the hospital.

The treatment for hearing loss is based on the cause. Temporary conductive hearing loss is often treated by properly managing the ear infections. For other types of hearing loss, treatment might involve reconstructive surgery, hearing aids, or cochlear implants (replacement inner ears). Sign language may become important to learn for the child and for his/her friends and family.

WHY CHOOSE BSR:

BSR ENT Hospital is one of the renowned ENT Specialist Hospital in Secunderabad with a high success rate of surgeries and clinical outcomes since four decades. They have their in-house otoneuro clinic, and have advanced equipment, hearing aids, and offer the following treatment services for Ear related conditions such as:

• Otoneuro clinic
• Audiology
• Pure Tone audiometry
• Impedance audiometry
• Hearing Aids-Trial, Distribution and Service
• Speech audiometry
• BAHA (Bone Anchored Hearing Aids)
• Middle Ear Transducers (MET)
• Micro Ear Surgery for
  • Deafness
  • Discharging Ear
  • Facial Nerve Paralysis
  • Vertigo

Highly qualified, experienced and trained ENT specialists like Dr. B. Shanker Rao, MS, DLO, FICS and Dr. B. Kalyan Chakravarthy, MS ENT / Head and Neck Surgeon, are adept at delivering the best in treatment solutions for all ENT disorders.

BSR applies latest technologies for ear disorders/hear loss such as Cochlear Implants, BAHA (Bone Anchored Hearing Aids), Middle Ear Transducers (MET), Zeiss Microscope, Lasers, Clinical and Biochemical Laboratory / Radiology and has its own Otoneuro clinic.

They are supported by a team of expert specialists who ensure every patient gets the treatment they deserve with utmost care and compassion. The high quality treatment is personalized and affordable. The doctors discuss the treatment plan with the patient and educates them on the condition and treatment to help the patient be aware of his/her condition and the treatment process.

The Hospital has emergency care and consultations that are available on appointments. Have questions or need an appointment for any of your ENT problems? Call: 040-27848166 / 9059311554 or mail us at info@bsrhospitals.com