TIP3
LEARN ABOUT CAUSES OF HEARING LOSS

Many conditions can cause hearing loss. Examples areexcess noise, foreign objects in the ear, infections, heart conditions, stroke, injuries, cysts and tumors. Below are some of the more common causes of hearing loss in adults.

Aging

People over age 50 are likely to lose some hearing each year. The gradual loss of hearing due to aging is called presbycusis (pres-bih-KU-sis), from the Greek presby,meaning "old," and cusis,meaning "hearing."

Presbycusis results from changes that occur over time to the inner ear, including damage to the sound-sensitive hair cells that convert sound vibrations into nerve signals. Presbycusis affects hearing in both ears, especially theability to hear high-frequency sounds.

Hearing loss that results from aging is usually permanentand can't be reversed with surgery or medication. However, hearing aids may help (Tip 6, page 19) along with simple strategies for better hearing (Tip 8, page 26) and assistive listening devices (Tip 9, page 28).

Heredity

Heredity plays a role in how resilient your hearing is, and several types of hearing loss seem to run in families. Anexample is otosclerosis (o-toe-skluh-ROE-sis), the most common cause of middle ear hearing loss in young adults. In otosclerosis, an abnormal growth of spongy bone occurs at the entrance to the inner ear, and the stirrup no longer moves easily. Surgery and hearing aids can often treat the problem successfully.

Heredity can also play a role in age-related or noise-related hearing loss. Some families tend to have strong hearing, and others lose hearing at a more rapid rate as they age. Some families have hearing that's more susceptible to damage from noise exposure.

Medications

Certain medications can cause hearing loss. These include, for example, aminoglycoside antibiotics (streptomycin, neomycin, others), some chemotherapy drugs (cisplatin, carboplatin, others), loop diuretics (ethacrynic acid, furosemide, including the brand Lasix, others), quinine and high daily doses of aspirin. Hearing loss due to aspirin or quinine is almost always reversible when the drug isdiscontinued.

If you see a doctor about hearing loss, be sure to mention any medications you're taking. And if you experience anysigns of hearing loss, tell this to the doctor who prescribed your medication.

Other conditions

Many other conditions can cause temporary or permanenthearing loss. A few examples follow.

Barotrauma, also called airplane ear, results from changes in air pressure between the atmosphere and your middle ear that cause your eardrum to bulge outward or retract inward. Barotrauma may occur if you fly or scuba dive or if you're at high altitudes in the mountains, especially if you have a nasal allergy, cold or throat infection.

To prevent barotrauma on long flights, consider takinga decongestant an hour before takeoff and an hour beforelanding, allowing sufficient time between doses as suggested on the product package. During a flight, suck candy or chew gum to encourage swallowing and the equalizing of pressure.

A ruptured eardrum can occur after an ear infection or trauma, such as a blow to the ear.

Signs and symptoms of a ruptured (perforated) eardrum are:

•  Earache

•  Partial hearing loss

•  Slight bleeding or discharge from your ear

If you suspect that you've ruptured an eardrum, see your doctor as soon as possible.Swimmer's ear (external otitis) is an infection of the outer ear canal. It results from persistent moisture in the ear — from frequent swimming, for example — often in combina­tion with a mild injury to the skin in the ear canal. Such an injury can happen from scraping the ear canal when tryingto clean out wax. Hair sprays and hair dyes also can cause infection.

Signs and symptoms of swimmer's ear include:

•  Pain or itching

•  Temporary hearing loss

•  Pus drainage from the ear (rarely occurs)

If the pain is mild and you don't have ear drainageor hearing loss, try the tips below. Otherwise, seekmedical care.

•  Place a warm — not hot — heating pad over your ear, but don't lie on the heating pad.

•  Consider taking a pain reliever such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others) if needed (and take it with food).

•  Keep water out of your ears.

•  Avoid getting substances in your ear canal that mightirritate it, such as hair spray or hair dye.

Clean your ear canal only if a doctor or nurse instructs you to do so