Could you be going deaf due to these causes?

Could you be going deaf due to these causes?
by Enozia Vakil

Are you having trouble hearing properly? You are not alone. There's been, in recent times, an exponential increase in the number of people suffering from hearing problems including hearing loss or deafness. Here are some of the top causes:

Loud music in your ears

If you are one of those, who can't imagine a day without your headphones, this will come as a shock. Loud music, especially from earphones, can harm your ear drums, sometimes even causing them to burst making you deaf or causing hearing loss. If you're always plugged in we suggest reducing the amount of time you listen to your music each day so that your eardrums will be less exposed to loud, damaging sounds. (Read: Beware – constantly listening to music on your earphones could make you deaf!)

External injuries and accidents

One of the major reasons for hearing loss is external trauma or accidents. Extensive injury to the ear or the head can affect the auditory system, cause internal damage and lead to sudden loss of hearing or deafness.

Ear infection

Ear infections occur either in the outer ear (otitis externa) or middle ear (otitis media). Outer ear infections are quite common among swimmers where germs thrive in the ear due to warm, moist conditions. Middle ear infections are more common in children. They are usually caused due to a cold, flu or allergy to other tissues. If untreated, the chronic infection can lead to hearing loss or deafness.

Build-up of earwax

Easily treatable and the least dangerous, earwax can rarely block out a considerable amount of sound. Usually, the individual experiences a slight inability to hear soft sounds, and after cleaning the ear, the hearing power becomes pretty much normal. (Read: Earwax – it's more dangerous than you think)

Growing old

Age-related hearing loss is common and is known as presbycusis. This type of hearing loss occurs due to changes in the nerves and the cells of the inner ear. The loss in hearing power may range from moderate to severe, but is almost always irreversible.

Certain medicines and exposure to toxic metals

Certain medications like antibiotics can cause hearing loss. The proper medical term for them is ototoxicity (damage to the ear). These antibiotics harm your ear by binding with NMDA receptors in the cochlea and damaging nerves. Similarly, exposure to toxic metals like lead, mercury, tin, arsenic and manganese can affect a person's hearing.

Genetic causes

Genetic forms of hair loss can be present from birth or show up later in life. They are can be progressive (the illness worsens with time) or non-progressive. There is variety of different conditions from mild hearing loss to total deafness that could be genetic.

Otosclerosis – abnormal growth of bone

Otosclerosis is an abnormal overgrowth of a bone which enters into the space between the eardrum and the inner ear, which interferes with normal hearing. Some symptoms of this condition include tinnitus, moderate to severe hearing loss and dizziness.

Auto-immune ear diseases (AIED)

Auto-immune diseases are those where the body's immune system starts fighting its own internal organs thinking they're foreign. AIED is rare and happens when the immune system starts attacking the cells in the ear. Most auto-immune ear diseases usually occur to patients suffering from other auto-immune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis or lupus.

Acoustic neuroma

A non-cancerous tumour on the auditory nerve, this tumour grows slowly and causes hearing loss in the affected ear by interfering in the transfer of impulses from the ear to the brain. It may also cause tinnitus, headaches, dizziness and other symptoms.

Many other conditions may affect your ability to hear properly. If you are experiencing trouble hearing properly or are suffering from sudden inability to hear, visit a specialist immediately.

For more articles on diseases and conditions, check out our diseases & conditions section and for videos, check out our YouTube Channel. 

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