Latest Hearing Health News
Nearly 2.5 billion people worldwide ─ or 1 in 4 people ─ will be living with some degree of hearing loss by 2050, warns the World Health Organization’s (WHO) first World Report on Hearing, released today. At least 700 million of these people will require access to ear and hearing care and other rehabilitation services unless action is taken. "Our
Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) have conducted a study that has determined the role that a critical protein plays in the development of hair cells. These hair cells are vital for hearing. Some of these cells amplify sounds that come into the ear, and others transform sound waves into electrical signals that travel to the
Wearing masks is making it harder on people who have difficulty hearing. A recent survey by the Hearing Loss Association of America found that 95% of respondents with hearing loss say masks and facial coverings have created communication barriers since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Masks make it harder to communicate in multiple ways. It muffles sound, making it difficult to
Tinnitus, one of the world's most common hearing conditions, is known to impact a person's hearing and well-being, but can it also affect a person's cognitive performance? Many people with tinnitus think it can, based on various reports of concentration problems due to tinnitus. 1 Researchers may think it can too, with published studies that found poorer cognitive performance in
Researchers at the Creighton University School of Medicine have identified a drug that can protect against hearing loss in mice, and they think it can work in humans, too. The best part: It’s a drug already on the market. The findings, published in the journal Science Advances, 1 are a potential breakthrough for the approximately 466 million people worldwide with
Hearing loss and diabetes are major public health problems, with Latinos at higher risk than other demographic groups. In a new study published December 17, 2020 in the online issue of JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery , researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine with colleagues elsewhere, report that hearing loss and high blood sugar are associated
The purpose of this case study is to support best practices in treating sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL), particularly the importance of immediate audiological evaluation and treatment of suspected SSNH to ensure an optimal outcome. SSNHL is most commonly defined as a hearing loss of 30 dB or greater at three consecutive frequencies that occur within 72 hours. 1 SSNHL
Scientists have discovered a simple method of reformulating gentamicin, a commonly used and highly effective antibiotic, that could reduce the risk it poses of causing deafness. A Stanford Medicine-led study has found that a subtype of popular antibiotic could pose a smaller risk of hearing loss yet still be powerful at fighting off bacterial infections. Gentamicin is used in U.S. hospitals
Delivering healthy genetic material into the inner ear cells of mice with a genetic defect that causes deafness enables the cells to function normally, according to a new study from Tel Aviv University (TAU). The novel treatment prevented the gradual deterioration of hearing in these mice. It could lead to a breakthrough in treating children born with various mutations that
Some experiences in life are hard to describe, but that doesn't make them any less real. Around the world, up to 20 percent of people experience a chronic phantom ringing or buzzing in their ears, known as tinnitus. The sounds - often high-pitched - are not connected to any known acoustic stimuli, and today, diagnosis depends solely on subjective experiences