top of page

New studies show hearing loss on the rise...

3 days ago

6 min read

0

2

0

Until recently, hearing loss has traditionally been considered to be an age-related condition. However studies show that hearing loss is beginning to affect all ages and is predicted to increase drastically in the next 40 years.

That's a lot of people!


Currently, 360 million people worldwide have disabling hearing loss. By 2050 that number is predicted to increase to 700 million. Here in the US, the number of Americans with hearing loss is expected to increase from nearly 44.1 million adults in 2020 to 73.5 million by 2060. 


What is causing the global increase in hearing loss?


The most notable causes for the rising trend in hearing loss include demographic changes related to global population growth and improved life expectancy.


Always wear ear protection in loud environments!


Additionally, sensorineural hearing loss, caused by damage to the hair cells in the inner ear, is considered the major pathway to permanent hearing impairment. Because of the lack of education on proper hearing protection and noise exposure, sensorineural hearing loss is projected to increase drastically.


What can I do to prevent hearing loss for me and my loved ones?


Some quick changes you can make to prevent hearing loss in your life and loved ones are:


*Wear hearing protection

*Avoid exposure to loud noises

*Wear earplugs

*Have your hearing tested regularly

*Educate your friends and family


Only you can prevent hearing loss!


Like my friend Smokey the Bear says "Only you can prevent forest fires". Let's all do our part to stop the spread of hearing loss!




Sources:

National Center for Health Statistics. Percentage of Any Difficulty Hearing for Adults Aged 18 and Over, United States, 2019–2022. National Health Interview Survey. Found on the internet at https://wwwn.cdc.gov/NHISDataQueryTool/SHS_adult/index.html

  1. Goman, Adele M., et al. Addressing Estimated Hearing Loss in Adults in 2060. JAMA – Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery. July 2017. Found on the internet at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5824202/

  2. Goman, Adele M. and Lin, Frank R. Prevalence of Hearing Loss by Severity in the United States. American Journal of Public Health. October 2016. Found on the internet at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5024365/

  3. United Nations. Sign Languages Unite Us! Found on the internet at https://www.un.org/en/observances/sign-languages-day

  4. National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. Quick Statistics About Hearing Loss. March 25, 2021. Found on the internet at https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/statistics/quick-statistics-hearing

  5. World Report on Hearing. World Health Organization. 2021. Found on the internet at https://apps.who.int/iris/rest/bitstreams/1334317/retrieve

  6. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Loud Noise Can Cause Hearing Loss. Found on the internet at https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/hearing_loss/public_health_scientific_info.html

  7. Cheslock, Megan and De Jesus, Orlando. Presbycusis. StatPearls. May 2023. Found on the internet at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK559220/

  8. Hearing Loss in Adults. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Found on the internet at https://www.asha.org/practice-portal/clinical-topics/hearing-loss/

  9. Zheng, Yunfang and Guan, Jianwei. Cochlear Synaptopathy: A Review of Hidden Hearing Loss. Journal of Otorhinolaryngology Disorders Treatments. March 2018. Found on the internet at https://sciforschenonline.org/journals/otorhinolaryngology-disorders-treatments/article-data/JODT-1-105/JODT-1-105.pdf

  10. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Sensorineural Hearing Loss. Found on the internet at https://www.asha.org/public/hearing/sensorineural-hearing-loss/

  11. Too Loud! For Too Long! Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. January 2020. Found on the internet at https://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/hearingloss/index.html

  12. Cone, Barbara, et al. Ototoxic Medications (Medication Effects). American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Found on the internet at https://www.asha.org/public/hearing/ototoxic-medications/

  13. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Conductive Hearing Loss. =Found on the internet at https://www.asha.org/public/hearing/conductive-hearing-loss/

  14. National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.Otosclerosis. Found on the internet at https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/otosclerosis

  15. Wright, Tony. Meniere’s Disease. BMJ Clinical Evidence. November 2015. Found on the internet at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4636025/

  16. McDaid, David, et al. Estimating the Global Costs of Hearing Loss. International Journal of Audiology. February 2021. Found on the internet at https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14992027.2021.1883197

  17. Reed, Nicholas S., et al. Trends in Health Care Costs and Utilization Associated With Untreated Hearing Loss Over 10 Years. Journal of the American Medical Association. January 2019. Found on the internet at https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaotolaryngology/article-abstract/2714049

  18. World Health Organization. Deafness and hearing loss. February 2023. Found on the internet at https://www.who.int/health-topics/hearing-loss

  19. Rochester Institute of Technology. Deaf Demographics and Employment: Demographics Statistics. Found on the internet at https://infoguides.rit.edu/deafemploy/demographics

  20. World Federation of the Deaf. Who We Are. Found on the internet at https://wfdeaf.org/who-we-are/

  21. Blackwell, DL. and Norris, T. Any Hearing Loss by State: Estimates from the National Health Interview Survey, United States, 2014–2016. National Center for Health Statistics. October 2017. Found on the internet at https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/health_policy/disability.htm

  22. Madans, Jennifer H., et al. Hearing Difficulties Among Adults: United States, 2019. National Center for Health Statistics. July 2021. Found on the internet at https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db414.htm

  23. Yong, Michael, et al. How the World’s Children Hear: A Narrative Review of School Hearing Screening Programs Globally. OTO Open. May 2020. Found on the internet at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7238315/

  24. Yoshinaga-Itano, C. and Apuzzo ML. Identification of Hearing Loss After Age 18 Months is Not Early Enough. American Annals of the Deaf. December 1998. Found on the internet at https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9893323/

  25. Jung, David and Bhattacharyya, Neil. Association of Hearing Loss with Decreased Employment and Income among Adults in the United States. Annals of Otology, Rhinology, and Laryngology. December 2012. Found on the internet at https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/000348941212101201?url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori:rid:crossref.org&rfr_dat=cr_pub%20%200pubmed

  26. Emmett, Susan D. and Francis, Howard W. The Socioeconomic Impact of Hearing Loss in U.S. Adults. Otology & Neurotology. March 2016. Found on the internet at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4466103/

  27. Idstad, Mariann and Engdahl, Bo. Childhood Sensorineural Hearing Loss and Educational Attainment in Adulthood: Results from the HUNT Study. Ear Hear. November 2019. Found on the internet at https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30946138/

  28. The National Academies Press. Social isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults: Opportunities for the Health Care System. February 2020. Found on the internet at https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32510896/

  29. Shukla, Aishwarya, et al. Hearing Loss, Loneliness, and Social Isolation: a Systematic Review. Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery. March 2020. Found on the internet at https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32151193/

  30. Hay-McCutcheon, Marcia J., et al. Positive Social Interaction and Hearing Loss in Older Adults Living in Rural and Urban Communities. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing. August 2018. Found on the internet at https://pubs.asha.org/doi/10.1044/2018_JSLHR-H-17-0485?url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori:rid:crossref.org&rfr_dat=cr_pub%20%200pubmed

  31. Rutherford, Bret R., et al. Sensation and Psychiatry: Linking Age-Related Hearing Loss to Late-Life Depression and Cognitive Decline. American Journal of Psychiatry. March 2018. Found on the internet at https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29202654/

  32. Lin, Frank R., et al. Hearing Loss and Incident Dementia. Journal of the American Medical Association. February 2011. Found on the internet at https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaneurology/fullarticle/802291

  33. Contrera, Kevin J., et al. Association of Hearing Impairment and Emotional Vitality in Older Adults. Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences. May 2016. Found on the internet at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5013924/

  34. Mener, David J., et al. Hearing Loss and Depression in Older Adults. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. September 2013. Found on the internet at https://agsjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jgs.12429


1.WHA39.14. Resolution on prevention of deafness and hearing impairment. In: Forty-eighth World Health Assembly, Geneva, 27 March 1986. Resolutions and decisions, annexes. Geneva: World Health Organization; 1986. Available from: https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/178296/WHA48_1995-REC-1_eng.pdf?sequence=1 [cited 2019 Apr 2].

3 days ago

6 min read

0

2

0

Related Posts

Comments
Share Your ThoughtsBe the first to write a comment.
bottom of page