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Hearing Loss Part 1
Robert T. Sataloff, MD, is a professor of otolaryngology, head and neck surgery at Jefferson Medical College, and an adjunct professor of otorhinolaryngology at the University of Pennsylvania. Here, in Part 2 of his lecture on hearing loss, he discusses its causes and treatment in the outer, inner, and middle ear… as well as infections and systemic disorders leading to hearing loss. Hearing loss in children has ‘devastating consequences,’ says Dr Sataloff, because it leads to learning difficulties and the suggestion that they’re ‘not too bright.’ Thus, early diagnosis and treatment are mandatory and can lead to remarkable overall improvement in learning and in quality of life. The commonest cause of one-sided deafness in children is mumps. Outer ear disorders are often caused by impaction with cerumen frequently as a result of cotton-tipped swabs for ear cleaning. Middle ear problems, on the other hands, usually result from infections that can be treated with antibiotics or with drainage by lancing the eardrum (myringotomy). Serous otitis media is also amenable to myringotomy, and middle ear effusion is a common result of barotrauma caused by, say, rapid aircraft descent. The main cause of inner ear problems is aging, which leads to sensorineural hearing loss or presbycusis. But the author describes multiple other causes such as otosclerosis, Meniere’s syndrome, perilymph fistula, and acoustic neuromas. Syphilis, Lyme Disease, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and other granulomatous conditions such as sarcoidosis and Wagner’s granulomatosis may also contribute to hearing loss. Among the many systemic disorders associated with hearing loss are arthritis, allergies, hypertension, hypothyroidism, renal disorders, diabetes, glaucoma, sickle cell disease, and cancer. Treatment, says Dr Sataloff, is based on accurate diagnosis of the multiple possible causes of hearing loss. Mechanical hearing loss such as chronic ear infection or ossicular dysfunction may be treated by surgery … and in many instances hearing loss may be mitigated by hearing aids, whose quality is improving rapidly. Prevention, the author concludes, involves protecting the ears from excessive noise, and maintaining sound overall health. Primary care doctors with hearing-loss patients, he suggests, would be wise to maintain contact with an otologist. Read More from Dr. Sataloff and the Journal of Voice. |
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