of the U.S. population — that’s 48 million Americans — experience some form of hearing loss.
Among adults over 65, 1 in 3 has hearing loss.
Among those over 75, the rate increases to 50%.
of people in the workforce experience some degree of hearing loss, according to OSHA.
Similarly, 60% of veterans returning from combat zones report hearing loss and tinnitus (ringing in the ears).
This type of hearing loss affects the outer or middle ear. It occurs when something prevents sound waves from traveling through the ear canal to the eardrum or the small bones of the middle ear. Common causes of conductive hearing loss include earwax buildup in the ear canal, structural issues with the small bones in the middle ear, a ruptured or injured eardrum, congenital abnormalities, or inflammation due to infections.
Sensorineural hearing loss affects the inner ear or the auditory nerve. Inside the inner ear are tiny hair cells that convert sound vibrations into neural signals that the brain can interpret. When these hair cells are damaged, the ability to hear clearly diminishes. This form of hearing loss can result from natural aging (presbycusis), prolonged exposure to loud noise, head or ear trauma, or the use of certain ototoxic medications that harm inner ear function. Unfortunately, once these hair cells are damaged, they do not regenerate, making this type of hearing loss permanent.
Mixed hearing loss is a combination of both conductive and sensorineural hearing loss. It arises when multiple factors affect different parts of the ear simultaneously, such as damage to the inner ear in addition to blockages or structural issues in the outer or middle ear.
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