Statistics
Deaf and Hard of Hearing (HOH) adults in the UK:
8,945,000 deaf and HOH
2,474,000 deaf and HOH people aged 16-60
6,471,000 deaf and HOH people aged over 60
8,257,000 people with mild to moderate deafness
2,366,000 people with mild to moderate deafness aged 16-60
5,891,000 people with mild to moderate deafness aged over 60
688,000 people with severe to profound deafness
108,000 people with severe to profound deafness aged 16-60
580,000 people with severe to profound deafness aged over 60
THERE ARE AN ESTIMATED 432,648 DEAF OR HARD OF HEARING PEOPLE IN SUFFOLK
Causes of Deafness
Hereditary a dominant gene or two recessive genes together may cause deafness
Pre- or peri-natal - infection or other problems, e.g. rubella or blood incompatibility
Infection especially meningitis, measles
Exposure - to an excessively loud sound (explosion) or frequent exposure to very loud sounds
(pneumatic drills, aircraft engines, brass musical instruments, disco music)
Accident e.g. car crash
Drugs e.g. a side effect of some medication given to save life
Tumours not necessarily malignant, e.g. acoustic neuroma
Declining years old age is often associated with inability to hear high frequencies
Types of deafness
There are two main types, conductive and nerve (or cochlear) deafness, but a person may
also suffer from both types.
Conductive deafness a blockage, damage to or infection of the outer or middle ear decreases the amount of sound entering the inner ear where sound is transformed into nerve impulses to the brain. The deaf person has to make extra effort to attend to speech or other sounds.
Hearing aids usually help this deafness though they do have limitations as they amplify unwanted sounds as well as the sounds the person wants to listen to.
Nerve deafness damage or disease of the inner ear or cochlea, which prevents the sounds being transformed into nerve impulses. Damage can also occur in the nerve itself. This type of deafness causes the deaf person to perceive distorted sounds rather like interference on a radio and can make listening extremely difficult. For some people hearing aids help but for other people they just amplify the interference. In extreme cases a cochlear implant may be suggested.
Degrees of deafness and other terms
Deafness (or hearing loss) is described as mild, moderate, severe or profound. It usually includes decreased ability to locate where sounds are coming from or how near they are.
Some people prefer to call themselves deaf, others hard of hearing, partially hearing, even hearing impaired.
Deaf / deaf convention
Deaf means someone who is culturally deaf, belongs to the Deaf world as opposed to the
hearing world and who uses Sign Language as their preferred language.
deaf means a deaf or hard of hearing person who prefers to speak and lipread and
does not belong to the Deaf world.
Other conditions associated with the ears
Balance Problems
Because we use the semi-circular canals, which are linked to the ears, to help us balance, an ear infection can sometimes start problems with balance that can be temporary or more permanent and is usually quite distressing. This should always be investigated at an ENT department.
Tinnitus
Tinnitus is a condition related to the nerve of hearing and the cochlea that often accompanies deafness but it can occur in people who are not deaf.
It consists of persistent or intermittent noises in the head that have no relation to the sounds of the environment. It can be very distressing, especially as it is often most noticeable when the sufferer wishes to rest quietly.
There are treatments available from hearing therapists for tinnitus including listening to white noise or tinnitus retraining therapy.
Contact Gillian Carron, Hearing Therapist, Ipswich Hospital e-mail: Gillian.Carron@ipswichhospital.nhs.uk
Information also from RNID, British Tinnitus Association
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