The problems of hearing loss and loss are considered by many to be a tragedy, because they can significantly reduce the quality of life. What to do about it?
“AiF” answers questions from readers Head of the Department for Adults of the Consultative Polyclinic of the Republican Scientific and Practical Center of Otorhinolaryngology Nina KOSTYUK.
Is it all about age?
- I am 88 years old, I am disabled group III. I can’t hear very well. Lore said that due to age, there is little chance of restoring hearing, and advises choosing a hearing aid. Is age really that critical? G. Sidorenko, Minsk
– Yes, critical. Of course, some people manage to maintain hearing acuity into old age, but this is the exception rather than the rule. In general, hearing loss is more common with age. And although people may be exposed to unfavorable factors at different stages of life, they still become most vulnerable to their effects during certain periods: in old age. The safety of the hearing aid is adversely affected by long-term work and living in noisy conditions, smoking, taking hormonal and ototoxic drugs that are harmful to hearing, ear diseases (for example, sensorineural hearing loss, otosclerosis), as well as a number of other diseases of the body – endocrine, immune, cardiovascular , Alzheimer’s disease, etc. So, for example, against the background of chronic diseases, encephalopathy of the brain can develop, as a result of which cerebral circulation is disrupted and symptoms of oxygen starvation appear. Due to a lack of useful substances, brain neurons die; the situation is also aggravated by the body’s limited ability to restore brain tissue. The body does not have time to compensate for the loss of neurons, as a result, cognitive impairment occurs, hearing, vision and coordination of movements worsen.
The device does not help
- I am 90 years old, but despite my age and disability, I try to visit theaters and go to shops. A year ago I received a hearing aid from the Republican Scientific and Practical Center, but my hearing did not improve. Why? Maybe something needs to be changed in the device? Why should I stand in line again for six months and go to the center? G. Snitskaya, Minsk
– The opinion that the device will return the previous level of hearing without any effort on the part of the patient is a misconception. You won’t be able to hear it right away like before! You need to get used to the device. For example, if people have poor eyesight, people wear glasses; not everyone likes this, and you have to get used to them. However, a person adapts and can no longer live without glasses. It’s the same with a hearing aid, but it’s more difficult to get used to, because it’s a complex technical device that affects the inner ear and then the brain. By the way, the brain must be trained to perceive sounds coming from the device. Therefore, there must be a strong motivation to hear well, and if this requires a device, then you need to adapt to it and, perhaps, visit specialists more than once to set it up. After all, you lead an active lifestyle! Otherwise, you will not be able to hear well, since there is significant hearing impairment, advanced age and a disability group.
To set up your device, you need to contact the Republican Scientific and Practical Center of Otorhinolaryngology again, having first taken a referral from an ENT doctor at your clinic. Keep in mind that the wait in line will take two to three months. It is impossible to carry out such a manipulation at home, since you need a special computer audio program that can be adjusted to the hearing parameters of a particular person.
By the way, if a person categorically does not want to wear a hearing aid, then it is better not to insist on it. Otherwise, he will actively resist the innovation and become nervous, which may result in a deterioration in his general health. If he doesn’t want to, there’s no motivation, that means there’s no need. And yet, if possible, do not exclude yourself from the life of society.
If a person needs a hearing aid, but does not use it, then over time the neural connections between the ear and the cerebral cortex are irretrievably lost. Seven years are enough for irreversible consequences; later all efforts to restore hearing will be in vain.
“I hear, but I don’t understand”
I am 93 years old. I didn’t use a hearing aid because I hear well. In the last 3-4 years, difficulties have appeared in understanding speech, but when they speak a little longer, I understand what is being said better. Why is that? Maybe there are devices that improve speech intelligibility? A. Matveev, Minsk
– There are no such devices. In an elderly person, a decrease in speech intelligibility can occur not only with a gradual decrease in hearing, but also with diseases of the nervous system, cerebral encephalopathy, Alzheimer’s disease… Loudness and intelligibility are different concepts. First, we hear and perceive sounds in the ear, then in the hearing aid they are converted into electrical signals and transmitted to the brain. At this stage, sounds are sorted and analyzed in order to isolate and separate speech sounds from the general stream of noise signals. Further in the brain there is a deeper processing of these signals, it allows you not just to hear, but to listen and understand speech. A conventional hearing aid transmits amplified sound into the ear, but you can try to correct speech intelligibility with drugs that improve the condition of the blood vessels in the brain; they will be prescribed to you by an ENT specialist or a neurologist.
Unconventional approach
- I heard about one Chinese method: the ear canals are massaged with rotational movements clockwise and counterclockwise. Do you think it is possible to stop hearing loss with this massage? O. Mikhalevich, Mogilev
– No. Tragus massage will help little in the prevention and treatment of hearing impairment, although it will not harm. Everything is much more complicated, since the processes responsible for hearing occur in the brain.
There are many unconventional methods, but I want to note that not one of them has yet improved hearing, much less restored it. For example, some people instill tinctures and oils from medicinal herbs into their ears, and place hot garlic and onions in the ear canals. It’s better not to take risks, as you will only worsen your hearing loss.
According to the World Health Organization, an elderly person is considered to be between the ages of 60 and 75, and old age refers to the period from 75 to 90 years. However, hearing loss is more common among older people. Every fourth person over 60 years old faces the problem of hearing loss.
Extraneous noise in the ear
- Since spring, I have been hearing a constant noise in one ear, reminiscent of the chirping of a grasshopper. A lump the size of a bean seed also appeared behind my ear. Doctors prescribed treatment, but it did not help. I am also a hypertensive patient: I have been controlling high blood pressure for more than 40 years, but sometimes the numbers jump above 200/80. What is happening to me? What to do? How to get to the Republican Scientific and Practical Center of Otorhinolaryngology? I. Kisel, Verkhnedvinsk
– Most likely, the acute process in the ear has turned into a chronic stage, since quite a lot of time has passed since the onset of noise and the treatment did not produce results. But the seal behind the ear has nothing to do with noise. You probably have a clogged sebaceous gland (atheroma); to open the abscess, contact a surgeon at your clinic. Also pay attention to high blood pressure; the numbers you indicated indicate that you need to re-select antihypertensive drugs. Make an appointment with a cardiologist; in old age, blood pressure should not exceed 140/80.
To get a free consultation at the Republican Scientific and Practical Center, you must have a referral from an ENT doctor at your clinic. It appears that you have chronic sensorineural hearing loss. The tinnitus may not go away, but your condition needs to be checked. The main thing is to exclude a benign tumor of the auditory nerve (neurinoma), since one-sided noise is one of its symptoms.
