Turn the volume down!

The World Health Organization (WHO) has documented that about 1.1 billion teenagers and young adults are at risk of hearing loss due to the mis-use of personal audio devices, including smartphones, exposing themselves to damaging levels of sound.  They have reported that 360 million people have moderate to profound hearing loss, but “it is estimated that half of all cases of hearing loss are avoidable.  In addition, the prevalence of tinnitus associated with noise exposure has been rising as the age of hearing-impaired individuals has been decreasing.  We need to be encouraged to Turn The Music Down! 

Listen Up

Recent studies have shown that hearing loss is associated with changes in cognitive function, ability to remember and balance.  Hearing loss may actually change the composition of the brain.  Read:  How Does Hearing Loss Affect the Brain?  Authors Arthur Wingfield and Jonathan E Peelle;  Disclosures Aging Health 2012

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/762515

Now Hear This

In a noisy restaurant, request a corner table.  Sit in the corner facing out if you do not wear hearing aids.  Sit opposite the corner if your hearing aids have dual microphones.

Preterm, low-birth-weight babies more likely for women with hearing loss

Pregnant women with hearing loss may be more likely to give birth prematurely or have low-birth-weight babies. This is the conclusion of new research published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Lead investigator Dr. Monika Mitra, Ph.D., of the Lurie Institute for Disability Policy at Brandeis University in Waltham, MA, and colleagues note that many individuals with hearing loss have other health issues, largely because hearing problems reduce beneficial exposure to media, healthcare messages, health communication, and learning opportunities.

What is more, Dr. Mitra and team say healthcare providers rarely receive training on the best way to communicate with patients who have hearing loss, which can make it hard for clinicians to provide optimal care.

Written by Honor Whiteman

Published: Monday 26 September 2016

Headphones causing hidden hearing loss 'epidemic'

The Courier - September 24, 2016.  Listening to loud music on personal devices could be leading to an epidemic of deafness among young people, a study shows. Noisy sporting events, concerts and nightclubs is also expose them to increasing risk of ‘hidden hearing loss’ - which isn’t picked up by standard tests. Known medically as cochlear synaptopathy if affects the ability to pick out sounds in a noisy environment.

Read more at: http://www.warwickcourier.co.uk/news/headphones-causing-hidden-hearing-loss-epidemic-