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Hearing Loss Essay

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Who is affected by hearing loss?
Hearing loss is the most common physical disability in the whole wide world. In the United States alone, about 28 million people have some level of hearing impairment that interferes with their ability to understand normal speech and participate in conversations. Another 2 million cannot hear at all.
Age is the most common factor in increasing hearing loss. About 30 percent of people between 65 and 74 experience some difficulty in hearing. That percentage and the severity of the loss increase with age.
Younger people can develop hearing loss as well. Fourteen percent of people between the ages of 45 and 65, and another 8 million people between 18 and 44, suffer from some form of hearing impairment. A …show more content…

The following are causes of sensorineural hearing problems in infants:
• Infection while still in the womb, such as rubella.
• Low birth weight.
• High bilirubin count (jaundice).
• Problems during delivery.
• Some medications harmful to the ear taken during pregnancy, such as amino glycosides (a class of antibiotics), certain water pills, and certain chemotherapy drugs.
The following may increase the risk of hearing loss:
• Diabetes.
• Blood vessel disorders, including high blood pressure and arteriosclerosis.
• A tumor or a blood clot that affects the hearing part of the brain or the auditory nerves.
• Multiple sclerosis and other neurological diseases.
• Trauma to the ear or a sharp injury.
• Lack of oxygen during birth.
Medications
Certain medications, if used for long periods of time or in big amounts, may lead to permanent damage to the inner ear. They include:
• High doses of aspirin.
• Quinine, used to treat malaria, can produce deafness and tinnitus. The effect is usually reversible if it is discontinued.
• Certain antibiotics, including certain "mycins," like high-dose erythromycin, gentamycin and tobramycin.
Symptoms
People with hearing loss may experience some, or all, of the following problems:
• Difficulty hearing conversations, especially when there is background noise.
• Difficulty hearing high-pitched sounds, such as the voices of women or children.
• Difficulty hearing the television or radio at a normal

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