Around 37.5 million American adults age 18 and older report having some hearing trouble; that’s about 15% of the American adult population. Hearing loss is a complex health condition, and there are several known causes of hearing loss or influences on hearing health.
Things That Can Cause Hearing Loss
The two most common causes of hearing loss are aging and loud noise exposure, but many other factors can damage or impair your hearing.
Natural Aging
Age-related hearing loss, or presbycusis, is the most common cause of hearing loss. It is irreversible, but it’s also a natural part of aging, just like needing glasses. An estimated 65% of adults 71 and older have some degree of hearing loss, and an estimated 96% of adults 90 and older have hearing issues. With presbycusis, the cells in the inner ear begin to die off, limiting the ears’ ability to process sound information.
Noise Exposure
Noise-induced hearing loss can happen to anyone at any age, and its incidence rates are rising in our noisy world. With noise-induced hearing loss, powerful soundwaves enter our inner ears like an earthquake, causing irreversible damage to the cells in the inner ear. This can happen with a single deafening noise, like fireworks going off close to your ears, or slowly over time, as often happens to workers in noisy industries, like construction.
Ototoxic Medications
The term “ototoxic” literally means “poisonous to the ear.” Oto means ear, and toxic means poisonous or damaging. Many medications, both prescription and over-the-counter, are ototoxic, including some antibiotics, painkillers, chemotherapy drugs, loop diuretics, anti-anxiety medications, antidepressants and blood pressure-controlling medications.
Ear Infection
Ear infections are often caused by a viral or bacterial infection in the ear after a bout of the common cold. During an ear infection, the ear canal and Eustachian tubes (which connect the ears to the back of the throat for mucus drainage and pressure equalization) become swollen, blocking sound waves from entering the inner ear. The middle ear may also fill with fluid, further causing obstruction.
Ear or Head Injury
Traumatic impact to the ear or head can cause significant damage to the organs within the ear and the brain itself, which can impact our ability to hear and process sound.
When to Seek Help
In some cases, such as with an ear infection or ototoxic drugs, hearing loss is temporary, and hearing will return to normal when the infection clears or you stop taking the ototoxic medications. In other cases, such as with aging or loud noise exposure, the damage is permanent.
Whenever you notice a dramatic change in your hearing, it’s a good idea to seek professional help. Using a hearing test, an audiologist can determine the cause of your hearing loss and whether it’s temporary or permanent. Contact Torrance Audiology today to learn more.
