• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

HealthMD

HealthMD

You are here: Home / Information / Presbycusis

Presbycusis

By surekha

Presbycusis is age related loss of hearing that occurs in most people as they grow old. It is quite common to develop loss of hearing as one gets older. Around 50-60% of people of age group 75-85 develop hearing loss. Usually they have difficulty in hearing high pitched sounds. Old aged people can have the ability to hear low pitched sounds like chirping of a bird but they have problems in hearing loud noise. This condition is known as presbycusis. A change that happens in the inner ear is the main cause for this problem. Sometimes it can be due to defective nerve pathways. People with this problem may not realize that they have developed partial loss of hearing since this process happens gradually.

Symptoms :

Some of the common signs of presbycusis are difficulty in hearing the voice and understanding the speech. The sounds seem less clear for aged people and this is more particular for high pitched sounds. They feel that speech of others is often slurred. With more background noise aged people have little understanding of speech. There will be roaring noise in their ears or hissing sound which is described as tinnitus. It is difficult to understand a woman’s voice with high pitch when compared with that of a man’s voice. For people affected with this problem certain sounds will be very louder than original tone.

Causes :

Loss of hearing in presbycusis is caused by disorders in the auditory nerve present in the inner ear. It is described as sensorineural disorder which happens as gradual changes or loss of hearing. Several factors like hearing repeated noise of traffic and working in noisy environment can cause these changes causing sensorineural loss of hearing. There will be loss of sensory receptors present in the inner ear due to aging process. Sometimes underlying medical issues and intake of certain medications like aspirin (for long) can cause this problem. It is believed to be caused due to hereditary factors.

If the blood supply to the inner ear is temporarily cut off due to heightened blood pressure, or due to diabetes or circulatory problems it can cause presbycusis. Any abnormalities in the outer ear or middle ear can cause loss of hearing. If the tiny bones present in the middle ear are not functioning properly it may not be able to receive sound waves properly and convey it to the inner ear.

Diagnoses :

Your ENT specialist can identify the loss of hearing by obvious symptoms. He may use special instrument to check the condition of inner ear to ascertain presbycusis.

Who are at risk?

Obviously aged people are prone to get hearing loss. It can occur due to genetics since some people will have predisposition of genes for loss of hearing. People working in heavy noisy atmosphere have increased chance for getting presbycusis resulting in loss of hearing. Having heart disease and high blood pressure can affect the hearing capacity of a person to some extent. Smoking is another risk factor.

Treatment :

It is easier to prevent or postpone presbycusis than to treat it. You should be aware of the potential noise producing machineries in the environment and use protective ear plugs. Exposing oneself to loud noise at workplace can cause gradual damage and los of hearing. You can avoid loud noise producing atmosphere and reduce the amount of time you are exposed to such noises. For instance you should know about the effects caused by damaging noises like firearms, lawn mowers, and snowmobiles and ensure that you are fully protected from hearing such noises.

Hearing aids are effective to manage loss of hearing caused by presbycusis. Plenty of listening devices can enhance the hearing ability in particular situation. You can use built in amplifier or FM systems for getting clear sounds. Such people can take training in reading the lip movements using visual cues to understand what others are speaking.

Hearing aid is not selected randomly for aged people. Professionals from audiology and ear, nose and throat department will work together for evaluating the intensity of hearing loss and select appropriate device. Audiologist will do complete evaluation of hearing to suggest right device. Further the person will be counseled how to use the device and in what aspects it will contribute for improved hearing.

Lifestyle Changes :

People having presbycusis disorder should face the person who is talking to him so that he can read his face. While conversing with others it is better to turn off the television or radio you are listening. There is nothing wrong in communicating the person about your hearing loss so that he will not use high pitched sounds. When dining in restaurants you can avoid sitting in high conversation areas or stay away from crowded place.

Related posts:

  1. Ringing in Ear – Symptoms, Types, Causes, Treatment
  2. Tinnitus (Ringing In Ears) – Symptoms, Causes, Treatment
  3. Ear Discharge – Symptoms, Causes, Treatment, Prevention
  4. Otorrhea – Causes, Definition, Symptoms, Treatment
  5. Clogged Ears
  6. Ear Canal Infection
  7. Tinnitus
  8. Gurgling Stomach And Bowel Sounds – Symptoms, Causes, Treatment
  9. Peroxide in Ear
  10. Menieres Disease – Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment

Filed Under: Information

Primary Sidebar

Learn More:

Search and Learn More

www.healthmd.net

  • About Us
  • Dr. Latheef Kasala, Ph.D
  • Home
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
SettingsAccept
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT