[Local medical care]21% of Chinese people have hearing impairment 60-60 principle of ear protection to prevent deafness

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Text: Yang Qianni Organizer: Liang Yingxiu

Sudden ear attack is defined as hearing loss greater than the hearing threshold of 30 decibels within 3 days. Usually the problem lies in hair cells or nerve lines, such as inflammation, insufficient blood circulation or tumor.

If the drug treatment can be carried out within 2 weeks of the onset, it will be effective, but if it is delayed for more than 1 month, it may cause permanent hearing loss.

(Kuala Lumpur News) The structure of the human ear can be divided into three parts: the outer ear, the middle ear and the inner ear, and sound is actually a sound wave generated by the vibration of objects. When the pinna receives sound waves, it will be transmitted to the eardrum through the external auditory canal, causing the eardrum to vibrate.

Then, the vibration of the tympanic membrane will drive the three auditory ossicles connected to it, and then transmit it to the cochlea of ​​the inner ear, stimulating the hair cells in the cochlea to generate nerve signals.

Thousands of newborns 5 have congenital hearing loss

Dr. Chai Chiun Kian, consultant otolaryngology and head and neck surgery, pointed out that these nerve signals will be transmitted to the brain center through the auditory nerve, and the brain will analyze these signals and convert them into information that we can understand until then We don’t really “hear” the sound until we hear it, and this process happens in a very short time. Therefore, any abnormality in any part of it can cause hearing problems.

According to a 2006 Ministry of Health survey,

About one fifth (21%) of the Malaysian population is hearing impaired,

Most of them are over 55 years old, accounting for 63%.

Among working people aged 18 to 55,

16% of people have varying degrees of hearing impairment,

The hearing impairment of middle school students and primary school students accounted for 3.5% and 6% respectively.

In addition, hearing impairment affects approximately 6% of children aged 3 to 6.

Although we do not have data on infants.

However, the World Health Organization (WHO) states that

Every 1,000 newborns have 1 to 5 people with congenital hearing loss.

However, hearing impairment is not the same as being deaf or completely deaf. The binaural hearing threshold of a person with normal hearing means that the smallest sound can be heard with an intensity of 25 decibels or less. If the hearing is not so good, and it needs a large decibel to hear, it is considered to have hearing impairment, and the degree can be divided into mild, moderate, severe and profound (profound):

Hearing Impairment Level Hearing Level Performance

Mild 26-40 Stop the small sound of the pen tip, such as whispering, Feng Shui leaves.

Moderate 41-70 Difficulty with normal speaking volume.

Severe 71-90 Obvious hearing loss, difficulty in daily communication.

Very Severe >90 Unable to communicate normally, need to speak loudly, can hear severe sounds such as firecrackers or thunder.

He said that hearing impairment can also be distinguished according to the location of the lesion. For example, the cause of conductive hearing impairment occurs in the outer ear and middle ear. The hearing impairment is generally mild to moderate and will not exceed 60 decibels; Related to the inner ear or auditory nerve, this type of hearing impairment is difficult to treat with medicines and most require the help of hearing aids.

Noise damages inner ear hair cells

Hearing impairment can be caused by many factors, including disease, infection, noise, physiological degeneration, or heredity, and any lesion in the outer ear, middle ear, auditory nerve, or auditory center of the brain can also affect hearing.

The external ear part is more often caused by earwax blocking the external auditory canal, resulting in hearing loss. Sometimes the fungus multiplies in large numbers and accumulates into clumps, blocking the external auditory canal and causing hearing problems, which is called fungal otitis externa.

He revealed that perforation of the tympanic membrane can also affect hearing, so we often remind the public not to use cotton swabs to pick earwax. This will not only push the earwax deeper, risk breaking the tympanic membrane, but may also damage the external auditory canal and cause inflammation.

As for the hearing loss caused by middle ear problems, it is usually due to inflammation, suppuration or effusion. The middle ear effusion is mainly caused by the blockage of the Eustachian tube (Eustachian tube, also known as the Eustachian tube), and the air does not circulate, so that the secretion of the middle ear cannot be discharged. Nasopharyngeal cancer, allergies or infections are common causes of Eustachian tube blockage.

Hearing impairment related to the inner ear is mostly due to the physiological degenerative phenomenon of aging, that is, presbycusis. The main cause is the natural death of the inner hair cells of the cochlea and the degeneration of the nerve cord.

“In addition, noise is also a common cause of injury and death of inner ear hair cells. However, noise does not only appear on construction sites or factories. Wearing headphones for a long time can actually damage our hearing. It is medically recommended that the public follow the 60-60 principle, that is, headphones The volume must be less than 60%, and the earphones must be worn continuously for less than 60 minutes.”

sudden deafness

within 2 weekstreatonly valid

When it comes to hearing impairment, there is also an emergency condition in the otolaryngology department—sudden deafness, or sudden sensory sound hearing impairment.

Sudden deafness is defined as hearing loss greater than the hearing threshold of 30 decibels within 3 days. Usually the problem is caused by hair cells or nerve cords, such as inflammation, insufficient blood circulation or tumors. If the drug treatment can be carried out within 2 weeks of the onset of the disease, it is very effective, but if it is delayed for more than 1 month, the drug effect will gradually decrease, resulting in permanent hearing loss.

Sudden deafness with tinnitus

Generally, when adult patients seek medical treatment, we will examine the structure of the ear through an endoscope to observe whether there is earwax or infection in the external auditory canal. If everything in the outer ear is normal, the patient needs to undergo a pure tone audiometry test to determine whether there is hearing loss, its severity, and its type, and then prescribe the right medicine.

“Different from hearing loss in the elderly, which generally affects both ears, sudden deafness is characterized by sudden loss of hearing on one side, sometimes accompanied by symptoms such as tinnitus or vertigo. Therefore, if there is unilateral hearing loss, we need to let the patient perform Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to see if it’s caused by compression from an acoustic neuroma, or if there’s another problem.”

Middle ear effusion caused by nasopharyngeal carcinoma

The most impressive case of Cai Junquan was a young man over 20 years old. He came to see a doctor because of unilateral hearing loss. After examination, he found middle ear effusion, which was actually caused by nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

“This patient is quite lucky, because he was diagnosed with stage I nasopharyngeal carcinoma early because he was treated early. After radiotherapy and chemotherapy, he recovered very well.”

It can be seen that hearing impairment is not necessarily caused by ear problems. Although it is rare, unilateral hearing loss is also one of the symptoms of nasopharyngeal cancer. This is a point that many people will ignore, so that when nasopharyngeal cancer is discovered, it is already stage III or IV.

“Therefore, if there is any hearing loss problem, please remember to see an otolaryngologist earlier.”

Do not use cotton swabsearwax digging

Question 1.It is not recommended to use cotton swabs to dig earwax, so how to clean it?

Answer 1.I would suggest going to the pharmacy to buy ear wax removal drops (ear wax removal drops), so that the ear wax can be softened and discharged by itself. If it is not effective, it is recommended to ask an otolaryngologist to clean it.

Using cotton swabs to dig earwax will push the earwax deep into the ear canal, and some patients even cling to the eardrum. There are a small number of people who accidentally pierce the eardrum with cotton swabs when digging earwax, so I would like to appeal to the public not to do this.

conductive hearing lossreversible

Question 2.Which hearing impairments are reversible?

Answer 2.Usually conductive hearing loss (problems with the outer or middle ear) is reversible, and hearing aids are usually not needed after medical or surgical treatment.

As for cochlear hair cells or nerve cord problems, because they cannot regenerate, it often depends on the degree and time of damage. More serious or delayed treatment is mostly irreversible. Patients don’t need to see it as the end of the world, though, as we also have options like hearing aids and cochlear implants.

Inflammation of middle earantibiotic

Question 3.What are the treatments for hearing loss?

Answer 3.Treatment is based on the cause, for example earwax requires only cleaning of the ear canal, while bacterial or fungal infections are given antibiotics or antifungals. Even if the middle ear is inflamed or suppurated, it can often be cured with antibiotic treatment.

For middle ear fluid, a myringotomy is performed and a middle ear breathing tube (grommet) is placed to allow the fluid to drain.

If it is hearing impairment caused by noise, the best way is to avoid the noise source and reduce the use time of headphones. Sudden hearing impairment is an emergency. Don’t think that you will wait a few days to see if it will be treated in a few months.

Once the golden time for treatment has passed, it is impossible to treat with drugs. It is recommended to seek medical treatment within 2 weeks, and no more than 1 month at the latest.

hearing impaired speaklouder

Question 4.What are the symptoms of hearing loss?

Answer 4.If it is found that the child is not sensitive to sound or does not respond too much, speaks slowly, and the pronunciation is not standard, etc., it is necessary to suspect whether there is a hearing impairment problem.

As for adults with hearing impairment, they are often accompanied by tinnitus, which is also a sign of auditory nerve problems. Others include being unable to hear what the other person is saying clearly when the ambient sound is relatively loud; and constantly asking the other person to repeat when talking at a normal volume.

Usually, hearing-impaired people also speak louder, or when watching TV, they need to turn up the volume very high.

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