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Hearing Loss: Causes and Prevention
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Hearing loss can occur in people of any age. It may develop suddenly or gradually, and may lead to serious other complicated health issues.
Acoustic trauma does occur when a sudden, extremely loud sound, such as an explosion, a gunshot, or a firecracker close to the ear, damages any of the structures in the ear. It can result an immediate, severe, and permanent hearing loss, which may require immediate medical attention. Temporary threshold shift happens when loud sounds cause a temporary ringing and hearing loss. In such situation sounds may also seem muffled. These effects usually don’t last more than a few hours.
But sometimes it may last several days or weeks. Repeated exposure to sounds that cause temporary threshold shifts can gradually cause permanent threshold shifts, which are commonly referred to as noise-induced hearing loss.
The repeated, frequent exposure to loud or moderately loud sounds over a long period of time can cause hearing loss disorder. This kind of hearing loss can be prevented with special care. The sounds of recreation and daily activities over many years can cause serious hearing problems which may in the end lead to hearing loss.
High-volume music can cause hearing loss. The noise from lawn mowers, household appliances and vehicles can lead to hearing imbalance in the later stages.
By reducing harmful noise levels and preventing noise-induced situations, you can save your ear. By wearing hearing protectors such as earplugs or earmuffs in noisy situations, you can assure safety of the ears.
Noise-induced hearing loss is usually permanent and cannot be reversed. Hearing aids, which make sounds louder, are often helpful for this type of hearing loss. The strong sound energy in the bend tiny hair cells in the cochlea, a part of the inner ear assures fine hearing. The force of loud noise can damage these hair cells causing hearing disorder. A small amount of damage may have no effect on hearing. But when exposed to heavy noise, the hair cells get damaged, resulting in hearing loss.
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