Noise Induced Hearing Loss, Presbycusis, And Their Interactions

Hearing loss continues to linger in the elderly population of today’s society. Yet, the onset of hearing loss can occur at any age and at any point in

This happens in two ways: listening at too high of a volume, or listening for too long. Studies have confirmed the obvious fact that “the louder the noise and the longer you’re hearing it, the greater the risk of hearing loss” (Siegel). This study concluded that an increasing amount of teens are suffering hearing loss and “wearing earbuds to listen to music may be to blame” (Siegel). The knowledge of loud sounds hurting the ear is well known, but not as many people are aware of the problems caused by listening to music for an extended amount of time. “Constant low-level noise might cause hearing problems, a new study in rats finds” (Cheung). Even music at a low level can damage a listener’s hearing if heard for an extended period of time, but what can losing some hearing really do to a

Long-term noise exposure is an example; this is due to the damage that the noise exposure can have on the sensory hair cells. Sensory hair cells are what allow you to hear and if damaged the ability to hear is reduced and these hair cells do not grow back. As Colin was a car mechanic this meant he will have been in contact and close proximity to loud equipment and machinery daily, this could have had a detrimental effect to his hearing and prevented him from hearing Mary. Other environmental factors include ototoxic drugs, genetic factors and cell damage and neural degeneration which are common effects of aging. Ototoxic drugs can effect hearing as they can damage the inner ear including the hair cells and also the auditory nerve, this is important as it carries the sound information to the

The slow processing of sensations in the brain due to aging, reflect the cause why so many older adults find it difficult to talk or make any speech in noisy environments. Older adults with “normal” hearing also face the same circumstance.

Hearing loss isn’t rare because it is estimated 50 million Americans suffer from hearing loss. The authors state this in the title of her book about the many millions of individuals affected by hearing loss. Hearing loss isn’t confined by age. The author developed her hearing loss at the early age of 30 but the significant onset of adult hearing loss occurs between the ages of 19 and 44. People usually think that hearing loss only affects the older generation, but we learn that it can affect individuals

Noise is one of the most widespread causes of hearing loss, and the most likely causes of occupational illnesses in the United States (Leigh 728). Acute or prolonged exposure to high-level, impulsive noise is an ongoing problem for the military and defense forces all over the world (Sliwinska-Kowalska and Adrian Davis 274). One shot from a big caliber firearm, perceived at a close range, may permanently or temporarily damage an individual hearing in an instant. Additionally, repeated exposures to noisy machinery may, over an extensive period of time, impose serious risks to human hearing. According to the report released by National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD); ten million Americans have already suffered permanent hearing damage from noise and thirty to fifty million individuals are exposed to hazardous noise levels every day (Leigh 728). Many hearing illness in the police service originate from the noise caused by gunshots. As a result of increased cased of hearing problem, mainly in the police service, many scholars have engaged in research in order to get appropriate mean to control these problem. Considering the increasing investigation from military groups for vital information on how to protect from impulse noise, it is vital to explore health effects associated with impulse noise from gunshots. This study explores the effects on hearing caused by

As a veteran, John was exposed to loud noises while on duty many years ago. Due to his prolonged exposure, John developed severe sensorineural hearing loss. Along with hearing loss, he also suffers from tinnitus. This interview was conducted in a quiet environment and directly facing John. John began the interview

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.

First I will explain how hearing loss works, So it may be no surprise that loud sounds can damage hearing, but what actually happens is that the pain is caused by damage to the nerves in your ear. For example, if you hear something really loud close to your ear the nerves get hit by a huge wave of sound that can damage your hearing. Furthermore, there is the question

It has been proven that excessive exposure to a noisy environment can result in permanent hearing damage. The noise could be a result of a variety of environments such as at air shows, concerts, work, home or play. If you work in a noisy environment, you are being exposed every day for many hours! Just because your ears might not be hurting or ringing when you leave the noisy environment, there is still a negative impact on your ears due to the constant noise and its impact is cumulative.

Noise induced hearing loss affects the hair cells of the cochlea and typically develops over years of exposure to noise (Kirchner et al., 2009). Although noise induced hearing loss typically develops over years, noise trauma occurs after one incidence of excessive noise exposure, such as an explosive blast or fireworks. Due to the nature of noise exposure, a noise induced hearing loss typically occurs bilaterally; however, in certain environments, asymmetrical hearing losses can occur as the result of noise exposure (Bess & Humes, 2009; Kirchner et al., 2012). Currently, there is no treatment for noise induced hearing loss. Nevertheless, hearing loss can easily be prevented by limiting noise levels and time of exposure (Fligor, 2011). Approximately 10 million Americans are currently suffering from noise induced hearing loss and an additional 30 to 50 million Americans are exposed to excessive noise levels each day (Fligor, 2011). In recent decades, noise induced hearing loss has become one of the leading occupational hazards in

In 1992, McBride, Gill, Proops, Harrington, Gardiner, & Attwell conducted a study among classical symphony musicians. Sound level measurements during five rehearsals and two performances were taken. An audiometric questionnaire and hearing thresholds were measured by clinical pure tone audiometry. It was not noted whether hearing protection use was advised or recommended. This study concluded that there is a potential for occupational noise induced hearing loss within professional classical musicians. More recently, Jansen, Helleman, Dreschler, & de Laat (2009) investigated a different group of classical musicians using a larger audiological test battery including: a self-report questionnaire, measuring hearing thresholds, loudness perception, diplacusis, tinnitus, speech perception in noise, and otoacoustic emissions. It was concluded that most of the musicians tested had normal hearing but tinnitus, diplacusis, and hyperacusis were more prevalent among this group than what would be typically expected. Schmidt, Pedersen, Paarup, Christensen-Dalsgaard, Andersen, Poulsen, & Bælum (2014) also looked at hearing loss and sound exposure in the classical musician. By obtaining hearing thresholds and a self-reported questionnaire with instrument type and exposure included, it was concluded that NIHL will occur due to the sound exposure time and levels that symphony

The purpose of the hearing research experiment is to understand the effects of experimentally induced conductive hearing loss on spectral and temporal aspects of sound transmission through the ear. The ability to hear is a critical aspect to understanding the world around us. The hearing process occurs by sound waves entering the auditory canal, coming in contact with the eardrum and causing it to vibrate. These vibrations cause sound waves which are then passed through the ossicles that lead to the inner ear. As the vibrations are passing thought through, the motion is setting fluid into the inner ear moving the inner hair cells. This processes into vibrations to the nerve impulses which are then carried to the brain by the auditory nerve and is transmitted into the sound that we hear however many people do not experience this due to hearing loss. Causes of hearing loss may be congenital of which would be hearing loss at birth or acquired hearing loss which would be hearing loss after birth. Other causes may be severe ear infections, extreme noise, ototoxic medications, and chemical exposure effects. The type of hearing loss that the study focused on was conductive hearing loss that occurs when “sound is not conducted efficiently through the outer ear canal to the eardrum and the tiny bones (ossicles) of the middle ear” (ASHA 2015). What is significant about this type of hearing loss is that due its normality of a reduction of sound level or the ability to

Hearing loss can simply be defined s a partial or total loss of hearing and can be classified into three main types viz; Conductive loss where mainly the outer or middle ear function is affected, sensorineural hearing loss which involves the damage to cochlea or the auditory nerve and mixed hearing loss having both conductive as well as sensorineural components present. Mechanism involved in normal hearing is very complex. Sound waves enter the outer ear and set the tympanic membrane into vibrations. These vibrations are conveyed via the ossicular chain to the inner ear through the oval window setting the inner ear fluids and the basilar membrane in motion. These vibrations take form of “travelling wave” that travels from the base of the cochlea to the apex. This wave peaks at the place tuned to the frequency and dies away rapidly. These in turn stimulate the sensory hair cells of organ of Corti which activate the auditory nerve and the signal is now a neural code that can be processed by the nervous system (Gelfand, 2009). Damage to any part of the ear, thus disrupts the hearing mechanism and results in hearing loss of varying degrees depending on the severity and the site of destruction. Ototoxicity, trauma, noise exposure, ageing, infections , tumors, temporal bone fracture etc are few of the many other reasons that disrupt the hearing mechanism and elevate the hearing thresholds. Prevalence of hearing loss dropping with age has been well documented and falls below 35%

There has a particular article, which called “Noise Pollution”, was written by Michael Bloch. He was saying that that noise pollution is an increasingly serious environmental problem - it is far from being just a worry because it has a very real negative impact on humans (beyond tinnitus) and wildlife. there are a number of health issues and environment issues associated with noise pollution nowadays. (Michael, 2012). Upon the studies that scientists have done so far, it clearly shows that there are a number of health issues and environment issues associated with noise pollution nowadays.