Hearing loss is a significant decrease in hearing, in which the patient experiences difficulties with the perception of the outside world and speech communication. If the disorder has a pronounced character, the patient can hear only very loud sounds pronounced near the ear. The appearance of symptoms of the disease should be the basis for a visit to the ENT doctor.
Classification of ICD-10
Bradycardness is a decrease in hearing, in which difficulties arise with verbal communication. According to the ICD-10, this pathology is coded under the cipher N90 "Conductive and sensorineural hearing loss".
If hearing deteriorates from birth or before the baby begins to talk, it is about early hearing loss. In other cases, the late form of the disease is identified.
In the first case, treating pathology is much more difficult, because a person does not understand what sounds are.
The main symptoms of
The main manifestation of the pathology is hearing loss. In some situations, it is noted only in a certain frequency range. A person may have slight or significant hearing impairment. Other distinguishing symptoms include the following:
- the appearance of tinnitus;
- indistinct speech;
- nausea and vomiting;
- slight dizziness.
Causes of
The main cause of hearing loss is inflammation of the middle ear - most often it leads to acute or chronic otitis. Hearing is reduced as a result of the formation of scars, splices, perforations in the region of the membrane.
Abnormal processes in the inner ear or nerve can be the result of pathologies such as influenza or measles. As a result, there is a risk of a sharp deterioration in hearing. In some situations, hearing loss is inherent in nature and involves violations of the child's speech development.
In adults, the disorder can be the result of otosclerosis, the use of certain medications, exposure to noise or vibration. Also, a provoking factor may be intoxication of the body with domestic or industrial poisons.
Often, hearing deterioration develops as a result of atherosclerosis, as this disorder provokes problems with blood circulation in the inner ear. In addition, doctors allocate senile hearing loss. In this case, the appearance of the disease is due to the age processes that occur in the auditory nerves or ear.
Types of hearing loss
There are several forms of hearing loss. For each of the types of this violation, certain features are characteristic.
Conductive
This form of pathology is caused by the formation of an obstacle in the path along which the sounds move. The cause of the appearance of the disease may be sulfur plug, abnormal changes, otosclerosis, tumor formations. Also to conductive hearing loss are often lead otitis, damage to the tympanic membrane or auditory ossicles.
Sensorless
This type of pathology is characterized by a reduction in the pain threshold at the time of perception of sound. Because disease is accompanied by discomfort when the sound exceeds the threshold of audibility. Sensorineural hearing loss develops with damage to the auditory nerve, Meniere's disease, autoimmune pathologies.
Also the cause may be measles or meningitis. The development of the disease leads to the use of certain antibiotics - to them, in particular, include gentamicin and monomycin. In this situation, hearing problems can be irreversible.
Mixed
This type of disease is associated with the influence of several factors at once, capable of provoking the neurosensory and conductive form of the disease. Correct this pathology will help only complex devices.
Audiograms for different forms of hearing loss
Degrees
Doctors distinguish different degrees of this disease:
- First degree hearing loss. In this case, a person has the opportunity to understand spoken language with 6 m. If the interlocutor speaks in a whisper, the patient can hear sounds from 1-3 m. Extraneous noise significantly worsen the process of perception of speech.
- Second degree hearing loss. In this situation, a person can adequately perceive speech at a distance of 6 m. At the same time, he hears a whisper only from 1 m. Even in normal conditions, the patient may have impaired speech perception. Therefore, it becomes necessary to repeat some words or sentences.
- Third degree hearing loss. This stage of the disease is considered to be the most severe. Even with a small distance between companions, the patient experiences difficulties with the perception of a whisper. Normal speech, it can normally be perceived at a distance of no more than 2 m.
| Degree of hearing loss | Average hearing thresholds at frequencies 500, 1000, 2000, 4000 Hz | Speech and Speech Perception | Perception of Whisper Speech |
|---|---|---|---|
| Norm | 0-25 dB | & gt; 10 m | 6 m |
| I | 26-40 dB | 6-3 m | 2 m at the ear |
| II | 41-50 dB | 3 m at the ear | No - at the ear |
| III | 56-70 dB | Loud speech at the ear | No |
| IV | 71-90 dB | Ear cry | No |
| Deafness | > 91 dB | No | No |
DiGnostic,
research methods to make the correct diagnosis, is often used speech audiometry. It implies the recognition by patients of spoken and whispered speech. This method allows to reveal the degree of violation.
To more accurately make a diagnosis, tonal audiometry can be used. This study involves testing the hearing for the tones of the range of speech. It is also possible to diagnose the disease by using tuning forks.
General preventive measures
The main preventive measures are mass examinations. Examinations at ENT doctors are shown to all people who work in noisy industries, and other categories of people from an increased risk group.
It is very important to identify the symptoms of hearing impairment in children on time. If this is not done, there is a risk of a lag in speech and mental development.
T is considered to be a rather complex disorder, which can lead to negative health effects and a significant deterioration in the quality of life. To improve the prognosis, it is very important to consult an otolaryngologist with the earliest symptoms of hearing impairment.