World Hearing Day was established by the World Health Organization in 2007 to raise awareness about hearing loss and deafness prevention and is celebrated today, March 3. Worldwide, approximately 1.5 billion people experience hearing loss.
The Silent Struggle
“I call it the ‘silent struggle,’ as it is not visible to the world, but patients experiencing it have significant effect to their quality of life,” shared Ksenia Aron, M.D. who is Clinical Assistant Professor of Surgery at Cleveland Clinic in the division of Otology and Neurotology – Lateral Skull Base Surgery. “The prevalence of hearing loss continues to increase with age, where nearly 1 in 3 adults over the age of 60 is affected, and 1 in every 2 adults that are older than 75 years old.”
Dr. Aron says that hearing loss is a common but often underrecognized health issue experienced by over 50 million Americans. There are two primary types of hearing loss: conductive and sensorineural. Conductive hearing loss typically occurs when sound waves are blocked or not transmitted effectively, often due to ear infections, earwax buildup, or ear drum perforation. The second type is sensorineural hearing loss, which occurs when there is damage to the inner ear (also known as the cochlea) or the auditory nerve. This is the type of hearing loss is often linked to aging or excessive noise exposure.
“Hearing loss is not just an inconvenience; it’s linked to increased risks of cognitive decline, including dementia. A study published in the Journal of of the American Medical Association showed that hearing loss is associated with dementia; severe hearing impairment was associated with nearly 5 times the risk of developing dementia. Furthermore, hearing loss is associated with social isolation, depression, and increased risk of falls, particularly among the elderly. These impacts on mental health, social engagement, and cognitive function are profound, with hearing loss contributing to a significant economic burden.”
Common Myths About Hearing Loss
The most common misconception is that hearing loss only affects the elderly.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that nearly 1 in 5 teens (ages 12-19) have some degree of hearing loss.
Another common myth is that hearing loss can be helped by simply adjusting the volume or using hearing aids to increase the volume. Dr Aaron explained that, “While hearing aids can benefit a significant number of people with hearing loss, they are only able to amplify volume. Once hearing loss becomes severe enough, the person starts to have deterioration to the clarity of speech that is being processed. Thus, no matter how long the sound that is being delivered to the ears is, if the clarity of speech is not there, the person will just receive loud, but unclear speech input. At this point the option to restore the ability to hear, where hearing aid is no longer able to amplify, are devices like a cochlear implant.”
Early Diagnosis is Important
Dr. Aron shared that the benefit of early diagnosis is to encourage taking preventive measures seriously, such as noise reduction strategies or adjusting medication to prevent further hearing damage.
“Early intervention can be more effective, especially in cases where hearing aids or other devices can be adapted to less severe losses, leading to better outcomes in communication and social interactions. Additionally, addressing hearing loss early might mitigate risks associated with cognitive decline, considering the link between untreated hearing loss and dementia.”
Resources on hearing loss:
Hearing Loss Association of America
Better Hearing
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
Hearing Health Foundation
