What type of hearing loss is presbycusis

If you have sudden hearing loss, see your health care provider right away as this may be the development of a serious hearing problem.

Avoiding constant or continuous exposure to loud noises can help protect your hearing and prevent gradual hearing loss. At the visit, write down the names of new medicines, treatments, or tests, and any new instructions your provider gives you.

Health Home Conditions and Diseases. What causes age-related hearing loss? It most most often occurs because of changes in the following locations: Within the inner ear most common Within the middle ear Along the nerve pathways to the brain Other things that affect age-related hearing loss: Continuous exposure to loud noise such as music or work related noise Loss of hair cells sensory receptors in the inner ear Inherited factors Aging Various health conditions, such as heart disease or diabetes Side effects of some medications, such as aspirin and certain antibiotics What are the symptoms of age-related hearing loss?

The following are the most common symptoms of age-related hearing loss: Speech of others sounds mumbled or slurred High-pitched sounds, such as "s" or "th" are hard to distinguish Conversations are difficult to understand, particularly when there is background noise Men's voices are easier to hear than women's Some sounds seem overly loud and annoying Tinnitus ringing in the ears may occur in one or both ears The symptoms of age-related hearing loss may look like other conditions or medical problems.

How is age-related hearing loss diagnosed? How is age-related hearing loss treated? Your health care provider will figure out the best treatment based on: How old you are Your overall health and medical history How sick you are How well you can handle specific medications, procedures, or therapies How long the condition is expected to last Your opinion or preference Treatment options for age-related hearing loss may include the following: Hearing aid s Assistive devices, such as telephone amplifiers or technology that converts speech to text Training in speech-reading to use visual cues to determine what is being said Techniques for preventing excess wax in the outer ear What are the complications of age-related hearing loss?

What can I do to prevent age-related hearing loss? The most important way to prevent age-related hearing loss is to protect your hearing. Avoid loud noises and reduce noise exposure Wear ear plugs or special fluid-filled ear muffs to prevent further damage to hearing Living with age-related hearing loss If you have hearing loss, your health care professional can refer you to specialists in hearing loss, such as an: Otolaryngologist.

If any of the symptoms we've listed are affecting your ability to hear, make an appointment to see a hearing healthcare professional as soon as possible for a hearing evaluation. The results of this evaluation will help determine the cause and extent of your hearing loss, as well as the best solution for treating the problem.

Like most types of sensorineural hearing loss, there is no cure. Fortunately, though, most cases of sensorineural hearing loss can be treated. More: year-old WWII veteran receives cochlear implant. The longer you let your hearing go untreated, the harder it will be to hear better once you do get hearing aids.

This is due to auditory deprivation , which is not just bad for your hearing. The good news? Hearing aids can delay the onset of these conditions. They'll also help you live better. This quality-of-life boost applies to any older adult with hearing loss, including those in nursing homes and assisted living. The key is to have your hearing evaluated and follow the recommended course of treatment if you are diagnosed with hearing loss.

For a list of hearing healthcare professionals in your community, along with verified patient reviews, visit our directory of hearing clinics. Debbie Clason holds a master's degree from Indiana University.

Her impressive client list includes financial institutions, real estate developers, physicians, pharmacists and nonprofit organizations. Read more about Debbie. Side Menu. Assistive listening devices Amplified phones Captioned phones Hearing aid compatible phones TV hearing aid and listening devices FM systems Alerting devices. Recent articles Shopping for a hearing aid?

Here are the four must-haves Overwhelmed at which hearing aid to buy? Drugs that have hearing loss and tinnitus as side effects Hearing loss can be a side effect of ototoxic medication and drugs. Genetics, hearing loss and rare diseases It's not uncommon for rare diseases and genetic syndromes to cause hearing loss.

Can cognitive behavior therapy help with my tinnitus? Home Report Age-related hearing loss A woman receives an ear exam. Why do we lose hearing as we age?

Presbycusis: Hearing loss in old age Presbycusis is the medical name for age-related hearing loss. Will I lose my hearing as I get older? Prolonged exposure to excessive noise at work, home or during leisure activities can cause this type of hearing loss. This is by far the biggest risk factor! Did your parents have hearing loss? Once these hair cells are damaged, they do not grow back and your ability to hear is diminished. Conditions that are more common in older people, such as high blood pressure or diabetes, can contribute to hearing loss.

Medications that are toxic to the sensory cells in your ears for example, some chemotherapy drugs can also cause hearing loss. Rarely, age-related hearing loss can be caused by abnormalities of the outer ear or middle ear. Such abnormalities may include reduced function of the tympanic membrane the eardrum or reduced function of the three tiny bones in the middle ear that carry sound waves from the tympanic membrane to the inner ear. Most older people who experience hearing loss have a combination of both age-related hearing loss and noise-induced hearing loss.

At this time, scientists don't know how to prevent age-related hearing loss. However, you can protect yourself from noise-induced hearing loss by protecting your ears from sounds that are too loud and last too long. It's important to be aware of potential sources of damaging noises , such as loud music, firearms, snowmobiles, lawn mowers, and leaf blowers.

Avoiding loud noises, reducing the amount of time you're exposed to loud noise, and protecting your ears with ear plugs or ear muffs are easy things you can do to protect your hearing and limit the amount of hearing you might lose as you get older. Ask yourself the following questions.

If you answer "yes" to three or more of these questions, you could have a hearing problem and may need to have your hearing checked. Adapted from: Newman, C.

Ear Hear, 11, Hearing problems can be serious. The most important thing you can do if you think you have a hearing problem is to seek advice from a health care provider. There are several types of professionals who can help you. You might want to start with your primary care physician, an otolaryngologist, an audiologist, or a hearing aid specialist. Each has a different type of training and expertise.

Each can be an important part of your hearing health care. Your treatment will depend on the severity of your hearing loss, so some treatments will work better for you than others. There are a number of devices and aids that help you hear better when you have hearing loss. Here are the most common ones:. You and your family can work together to make living with hearing loss easier. Here are some things you can do:. Working together to hear better may be tough on everyone for a while.