The hearing loss is a disability that affects more than 10% of the French population. Are affected by this disease, all adults, adolescents, and children. In this regard, it is estimated that 12 to 18% of children under 5 suffer from sensorineural deafness deep or severe. What are the causes and symptoms of deafness and how to treat it?
Deafness: definition and general information
In general, the deafness is defined as a reduction of thehearing. Indeed, it is characterized by the reduction of the capacity of perception of the sounds. Health professionals call this phenomenon a hearing loss. It therefore appears that the affected person can hear only very weakly.
This health problem is a source of disruption in the daily life of the patient. He will find it difficult to communicate with those around him, or even to avoid certain dangers such as road accidents. Moreover, in children, untreated deafness quickly impacts their ability to speak. As for the elderly, hearing loss leads to isolation. At the same time, they lose the essential stimulation for the preservation of their intellectual capacities.
Also called hearing loss, this disease can be temporary or irreversible. Its permanent appearance is mainly caused by a sudden deafness. However, a slow evolution of the condition is also to be expected. In this case, both ears are likely to be affected by the disease.
It is important that thehypoacousie not be confused with thehyperacousie. If the first refers to hearing loss, the second means high sensitivity to sounds. In addition, the loss of hearing acuity can occur in isolation or supported by certain clinical signs.
Hearing loss: the different characteristics
The characteristics of deafness are subdivided into two categories namely: qualitative specificity and quantitative specificity. Each group has its own particularities, which are measurable.
Qualitative characteristic
In this category, three kinds of deafness are to be found. The first is unilateral deafness or bilateral deafness. This name is attributed to the disease depending on whether one of the ears or both are affected.
Homogeneous or heterogeneous hearing loss consists in determining the impact on the sound frequencies. It is homogeneous if the condition affects all sound frequencies in the same way. On the other hand, if only a few frequencies are affected, the pathology is heterogeneous.
The third kind of hypoacusis corresponds to the verification of sound distortions. In case of positivity, the patient suffers from a deafness with the presence of sound distortions. Otherwise, it is a deafness with absence of sound distortions.
Quantitative characteristic
This feature of hearing loss takes into account sound measurements during the condition. Four forms of hearing loss are highlighted:
- the mild deafness ;
- the moderate deafness ;
- the severe deafness ;
- the profound deafness.
For deafness to be slight, the hearing loss must be located between 20 and 40 decibels. From 40 to 70 decibels, it is a matter of moderate deafness. The onset of severe deafness occurs when the decibels are above 70, and below 90. As for profound deafness, it presents a hearing loss of 90 to 120 decibels.
Symptoms of Hearing Loss
The hearing loss is the only clinical manifestation of hearing loss. However, other symptoms may appear to accompany the poor perception of sound. The dizziness, the fever, discharge from the ear, and the tinnitus are the secondary signs to look out for. Most of the time, deafness manifests itself in isolation. Appearance of accompanying symptoms may be indicative of worsening.
Deafness: causes and typology
The conductive hearing loss and the sensorineural hearing loss are the two types of existing hearing loss. Each of them is determined by a specific mechanism of appearance and the affected part of the ear.
conductive hearing loss
This form of hearing loss stems from blocking the transmission of the sound signal. In other words, the sound transmission is not done at middle or outer ear. By the way, the middle ear is an eardrum made up of three ossicles. It is limited by the origin of the auditory nerve and the eardrum. The outer ear is made up of the external auditory canal and the pinna.
The main cause of this form of hearing loss is a ear malformation. Indeed, the defect of the eardrum or ear canal causes this hearing problem. More, blockage of the external auditory canal by an object or earwax may be the cause of harm.
The ear infections repetitive or serious chronic otitis, generates fluid behind the eardrum. This outcome may be a factor in this form of deafness. It should be emphasized that the children are the most exposed to this trigger. The traces of trauma to the middle ear also lead to this hearing loss.
L’otospongiose also creates suitable conditions for the onset of conductive hearing loss. It’s about a degeneration and damming of the middle ear ossicles. This disease is caused by poor bone quality of the ear. Thus, otospongiosus foci are created at the level of the ossicles, in particular theyoke. They generate a progressive closure of the stapes by a condition called stapes ankylosis.
Sensorineural hearing loss
Sensorineural hearing loss is due to inconsistencies in the transformation of sound into nerve impulses. Therefore, the sick person’s brain is not able to process the received signal. The causes of this type of hearing loss are numerous. Some of them are inner ear diseases. As a result, the semicircular canals, the auditory nerve, labyrinth and cochlea are touched. The origins of perceptual hearing loss are categorized into two groups: common causes and the rare causes.
Common causes
- The congenital deafness is the primary origin of this form of hearing loss. It is mainly found in newborns. Neonatal screening during the first days of the child’s life can detect it early. This cause is therefore of genetic essence, and it concerns 0.5 to 1.3 per thousand babies;
- Some ototoxic products prove to be harmful to the ear. They not only cause the condition, but also aggravate it. Carbon monoxide, aromatic solvents, and hydrocyanic acid are examples of hearing loss-enhancing products;
- Taking medications such as aminoglycoside antibiotics, certain diuretics, cancer therapies, and salicylic acid is a precursor to hearing loss. Their action on the inner ear can be temporary or permanent ;
- By exposing the ears to loud noises, you are certain to suffer from deafness. Indeed, this is the primary cause of this disease. Prolonged listening to loud noises results in gradual destruction of cells of the inner ear. The resulting effect is therefore irreversible. ;
- the noise from an explosion, although brief, can cause hearing loss. This can be sudden, partial or total. The high intensity of this type of noise can lead to ruptured eardrum. Lesions can also appear on the cells of the cochlea, creating the acute sound trauma ;
- The Meniere’s disease causes the secondary symptoms of deafness. It comes from a increased pressure in the labyrinth of the ear. When left untreated, the pathology worsens and chronic lesions appear on the affected area of the ear. At this stage, balance disorders are permanently felt ;
- One inner ear trauma is also one of the origins of the disease. It can be direct or barometric. This means that the pressure experienced by the ears during a dive may be responsible for sensorineural hearing loss;
- the acoustic neuroma is a good example of sudden deafness and tumor. Although it is benign, this cancer of the auditory nerve is responsible for sensorineural hearing loss. The logical complication in this case is facial paralysis.
Rare causes
In addition to the recurring origins of this type of deafness, there are others that are quite rare. First of all, an ear infection due to meningitis or acute otitis media can lead to perceptual hearing loss. Next, sudden and unilateral deafness associated with a vascular problem can cause this hearing loss.
The mumps are also a probable origin of the disease. Finally, a dysfunction of the auditory pathways of the brain may also be the cause. It should be emphasized that this last element is really rare.
Hearing loss: what treatments are indicated?
Hearing loss cannot be treated directly. These are the origins that are treated in order to overcome the disease. The patient must therefore go to the hospital to be examined. At the end of the consultation, the doctor will make a prescription according to the origin found. Suggested solutions are:
- the anti-inflammatory drugs ;
- the antiagrégants plaquettaires ;
- a oxygen therapy.
The last treatment offered (oxygen therapy) can treat burns and poisoning that have occurred during scuba diving. It consists in giving artificial oxygen to the sick person.
In addition to the treatments mentioned, a surgical intervention is required for the repair of eardrums or the placement of a prosthesis. Removal of vegetation is also likely, to avoid a recurrence of otitis media. However, the placement of a tympanostomy tube may be useful after surgery.
In sum, deafness can be considered complex, as it has a multitude of origins. Whatever its form, it must be taken seriously in order to avoid permanent inconvenience. Moreover, the appearance of hearing loss in a sixty-year-old is called a presbyacousie. Admittedly, it is natural, but its dangerousness remains completely intact. Prompt treatment is the only way to effectively counter permanent hearing loss.