There are still too many people, young and old, who avoid facing the first warning signs of hearing loss. Yet if you intervene promptly, you can avoid the worst consequences.
According to data from the World Health Organization, there are about 278 million people with problems worldwide who have hearing problems.
Mostly they are elderly: about a third of the over 60s and half of the over eighty-fives suffer from hearing loss, at various levels.
Severe deafness, i.e. when a human voice cannot be heard during a normal conversation, affects 1.3 per thousand of the population.
In practice, 50 thousand Italians suffer from severe deafness. While the cases of hearing loss, the partial loss of hearing, are many more: about 2.5 million Italians.
Causes, there are also avoidable ones
To take stock of the causes of hearing loss, some of the leading Italian experts met at the recent Hearing for everyone congress, supported by Audium.
In addition to non-modifiable risk factors, such as age and genetic predisposition, it has become clear that prolonged exposure to noise, a diet excessively rich in dietary fat, some metabolic diseases such as diabetes and some drugs can contribute to the development of hearing loss.
Psychological and social consequences
Not being able to listen to music or understand what the speaker is saying means giving up a substantial slice of the world around us. And the psychological relapses are relevant.
Depression problems can arise, which often push those with hearing loss to reject disability, denying it. And absolutely avoiding to undergo an audiological examination.
Of fundamental importance, in this sense, is the support of the family. Because if you do not intervene in time, you can face a progressive deterioration of some cognitive functions, with repercussions on the quality of life.
In fact, it has been shown that the auditory cortex, that part of the brain responsible for processing the sound information coming from the ear, is extremely plastic. In the sense that it changes based on the sensory experiences that surround us.
Those who suffer from hearing loss, if they do nothing to solve the problem, then undergo a sort of “atrophy” of the auditory cortex, losing the possibility of recovery over time.
Joycelyn Elders is the author and creator of EmpowerEssence, a health and wellness blog. Elders is a respected public health advocate and pediatrician dedicated to promoting general health and well-being.
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