Hearing loss is called hearing loss, in which speech communication is difficult. Deafness is such a severe hearing loss that the patient does not perceive the words spoken near his ear. Now the problem of deafness and hearing loss is becoming widespread among the population of the country. The number of people suffering from hearing loss is thirteen million people, and about half a million of those who are ill are children under the age of eighteen. One in a thousand newborn babies is born with absolute deafness or profound hearing loss. If hearing loss occurred from birth or before the child learned to speak, then such hearing loss is called early. This type of deafness is the most difficult to treat, since the patient absolutely does not know what sound and spoken language are.
CAUSES OF HEARING LOSS
They can be various obstacles in the way of sound, sulfur plugs, external otitis media, tumors. Also, the reasons for the development of this condition can be traumatic damage to the eardrum, injuries to the auditory ossicles, tubotitis and many other diseases. Increased fluid pressure in the inner ear, various pathologies, injuries at birth and in early childhood. All this can cause the development of hearing loss.
TYPES OF HEARING LOSS
Hearing loss is divided into several groups:
conductive hearing loss;
mixed hearing loss;
sudden deafness;
sensorineural hearing loss;
chronic hearing loss;
acute hearing loss;
Also , hearing loss is divided into several groups along the course of the disease:
1 degree of hearing loss — the patient does not hear sounds in the range of 26-40 db.
2 degree of hearing loss — hearing loss, in which the patient ceases to perceive sounds in the range of 41-55 db.
3 degree of hearing loss — the patient does not hear sounds in the range of 56-70 db.
4 degree of hearing loss is such a critical hearing loss that the patient ceases to perceive sounds in the range of 71-90 db.
If the patient does not hear sounds exceeding 90 db, then he is diagnosed with “deafness”.
DIAGNOSIS of HEARING LOSS
When diagnosing hearing loss, it is necessary to identify not only hearing impairment, but also its cause, the severity of the disease. The initial diagnosis does not require any special conditions and is carried out by an otolaryngologist. If the diagnosis is confirmed, then a consultation of a surdologist and his professional examination is required when using special equipment. It is also carried out to find out exactly what kind of hearing loss the patient suffers from, for this purpose special equipment, audio meters, tuning forks, etc. are used. Also, a visual examination of the patient’s auricle for the presence of scars in it is carried out.
TREATMENT OF HEARING LOSS
Treatment of conductive hearing loss
When making a diagnosis of “conductive hearing loss”, immediate, professional and surgical treatment is required. There are a huge number of surgical methods to cure this type of hearing loss. This can be prosthetics of the auditory ossicles, myringoplasty and tympanoplasty. In some cases, the restoration of hearing was observed even with complete deafness. One or another operation is prescribed after determining the type of damage to the hearing aid.
Treatment of sensorineural hearing loss
It is impossible to get rid of this type of hearing loss surgically. In the initial stages of the disease, drug treatment, coupled with physiotherapy, helps. But if the disease has been developing for a long time, then the only way to compensate for hearing is hearing replacement. The selection and installation of a hearing aid is performed by a hearing prosthetist. But thanks to modern medicine, operative methods for the treatment of sensorineural hearing loss are being actively developed.
