We lose our hearing when we age…that’s a fact. Let’s learn five more facts about age-related hearing loss.
1. Cochlear tuning curves are broadened due to outer hair cell damage. Tinnitus is positively correlated with age-related damage to cochlear hair cells. This is also called bilateral sensorineural hearing loss.
2. Hearing thresholds decrease at a rate of about 1 dB per year in individuals over 60 years old. The high frequencies are affected first, which can lead to poor speech understanding.
3. Tinnitus is generally described as high-pitch ringing, which corroborates with the high-frequency sensorineural hearing loss of presbycusis.
4. Bilateral hearing loss does not always cause tinnitus.
5. As individuals age they are exposed to numerous noises and chemicals. Epidemiological data about hearing loss poses a challenge to pinpoint its cause because of the large amount of variables humans deal with as we age.
Often times hearing loss comes with ringing in the ears, called tinnitus. Tinnitus can be caused by numerous factors, one of which is related to bilateral sensorineural hearing loss.
Age related hearing loss is a part of life for everyone. So how do we manage it? Typically hearing aids are the best treatment.
