"The good news is that this is 100 percent preventable," said Cherukuri. Most patients with hearing loss need surgery or hearing aids. Once hearing is gone, it is impossible to repair it naturally. Unfortunately, the damage is cumulative over time." Promoting good ear health When our ears are exposed to harmful noise, delicate cells in the inner ear become damaged. We are connected to phones and music players, often for hours each day. "Noise-induced hearing loss is a growing problem in this country. Sreekant Cherukuri, a board-certified otolaryngologist based in Chicago and the founder of MDHearingAid, told Live Science. "We are seeing more and more patients with significant hearing loss as early as the late teenaged years," Dr. Hearing typically declines with age naturally, though damage to the ear can cause hearing loss at a very young age. And 15% of Americans ages 18 and up report some type of hearing trouble, according to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD).Įven so, age is the largest predictor of hearing loss in those 20 to 69 years old, according to the NIDCD. Two to three out of every 1,000 babies born in the U.S. Hearing loss is not just something that plagues older individuals. Symptoms of wax build-up is a feeling of blockage in the ears, coughing, odor, discharge, itching and hearing loss. Normal amounts shouldn’t bother most people, though sometimes, wax can build up and should be removed, according to The American Academy of Otolaryngology. Barotrauma can usually be fixed by “popping” the ears by yawning, chewing gum or trying to blow outward while keeping the nose pinched and mouth closed.Įar wax, also called cerumen, has antibacterial properties and also lubricates and protects the ear. Symptoms include pain, stuffy ears, hearing loss and dizziness. It typically occurs during flights in an airplane, traveling to places at high altitudes or diving into deep waters. It can also be caused by loud noises, medicines or a variety of other causes.Įar barotrauma is an injury to the ear due to changes in barometric or water pressure, according to the NLM. Symptoms include hearing loss, pressure or pain, dizziness and tinnitus. Meniere's disease a disease of the inner ear that may be the result of fluid problems inside the ear. Common symptoms of ear infections are drainage from the ear, hearing loss, earache, fever, headache, pain in the ear and a feeling of fullness in the ear, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians. The inner ear is connected to the vestibulocochlear nerve, which carries sound and equilibrium information to the brain.Įars are delicate organs that can be damaged by physical injuries, bacteria or even changes in the environment.Įar infections are the most common illness in babies and younger children, according to the NLM. The vestibular complex, in the inner ear, is also important to balance because it contains receptors that regulate a sense of equilibrium. This process helps humans retain their balance. The Eustachian tube, or pharyngotympanic tube, equalizes air pressure in the middle ear with the air pressure in the atmosphere. (Image credit: Alila Medical Media Shutterstock ) How ears help with balance Tiny hair cells in this organ translate the vibrations into electrical impulses that are carried to the brain by sensory nerves.Īnatomy of the ear. This action is passed on to the inner ear and the cochlea, a fluid-filled, spiral-shaped structure that contains the spiral organ of Corti, which is the receptor organ for hearing. The tympanic cavity is lined with mucosa and filled with air and the auditory ossicles, which are three tiny bones called the malleus (hammer), incus (anvil), and stapes (stirrup), according to Encyclopedia Britannica.Īs the bones vibrate, the stapes pushes a structure called the oval window in and out, according to the National Library of Medicine (NLM). The vibrations pass through the tympanic membrane and enter the middle ear, also called the tympanic cavity. Just like when a drum is hit by a drumstick, the thin sheet of connective tissue vibrates when sound waves strike it. The sound waves pass through the auditory canal and reach the tympanic membrane, better known as the eardrum. The auditory canal is the part of the ear hole that can easily be seen when looking at an ear up-close. Sound waves are funneled through the external ear and piped into the external auditory canal, according to Nebraska Medicine. The external ear, also called the auricle or pinna, is the loop of cartilage and skin that is attached to the outside of the head.
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