World Hearing Day

3/2/23 in Blog Posts

World Hearing Day is held on March 3^rd every year to promote hearing health worldwide and to advocate for raising awareness to hearing loss and hearing related issues. The World Health Organization decides on the yearly theme and plans an annual World hearing Day event. This year, the CDC is focusing on four main points for World Hearing Day:

• Ear and hearing problems are among the most common problems encountered in the community.
• Over 60% of these can be identified and addressed at the primary level of care.
• Integration of ear and hearing care into primary care services is possible through training and capacity building at this level.
• Such integration will benefit people and help countries move towards the goal of universal health coverage.

One of the most important routine health checks a person can do is to have their hearing tested. Often times, people wait until they “notice their hearing has changed”. However, by identifying any possible problem(s) sooner than later one has the opportunity to find solutions to their identified diagnosis with the best prognosis.

The identification process starts immediately when a child is born and before they leave the hospital. A newborn hearing screening is performed and the results are given immediately. All newborns who don’t pass should have a more comprehensive hearing test done before they are three months of age. This is crucial as the young childhood years are most important for the development of speech and language.

Identifying hearing loss can also help with one’s tinnitus (ringing of the ears) or balance disorders they are experiencing. Hearing loss is connected to cognitive degeneration, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes and high blood pressure. By identifying the early signs of these conditions through regular hearing tests one can receive the medical intervention needed as soon as possible.

Noise induced hearing loss (NIHL) is an extremely common cause of hearing loss. It is acquiring hearing loss from repeated noise exposure. From children to adults there are many environments and situations where the decibel volume can become hazardous resulting in damaged hair cells within the cochlea, ultimately causing hearing loss. Industrial workers are most likely to experience increased exposure to loud noises, which dramatically increases their likelihood of acquiring hearing loss at an earlier age.

Hearing, communicating and connecting with others is one of the greatest gifts and allows for one to have a better quality of life. Without identifying one’s hearing loss it can lead to severe social and health problems. Here at ENT and Allergy Associates we want our patients to understand the importance of hearing health, while seeking our services to properly diagnose and treat hearing loss and related disorders.

Resources:

https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/features/world-hearing-day/index.html

https://www.hoffmannaudiology.com/blog/why-regular-hearing-screening-is-important

https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/hearingloss/genetics.html

 

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