| Can you have any control on whether you will lose | | | | the tissues. This has to be cleaned out once in a |
| your sense of hearing? There are many causes of | | | | while. If not done, the wax will build leading to short |
| deafness and certainly some are preventable. | | | | term deafness. Even foreign substances such as the |
| Deafness can vary from mild to severe. Deafness at | | | | tip of a cotton bud or a hairpin can cause hearing loss |
| birth is called congenital deafness and that which | | | | if they puncture the eardrum. This is not too serious |
| occurs after birth is called adventitious deafness. The | | | | as the eardrum heals on its own, although it can take |
| causes of adventitious deafness are many. Lifestyle | | | | a few weeks.o Excess Mucus: Excess mucus is |
| has a vital responsibility for cause of hearing loss and | | | | caused either due to the common cold, hay fever or |
| one of the main causes of adventitious deafness is | | | | other allergies. This blocks the Eustachian tube, which |
| noise. Some common causes of deafness are:o | | | | leads to loss of hearing.o Ear Infections: During an ear |
| Hereditary Disorders: Hereditary deafness happens | | | | infection, the fluid and pus fills in the middle ear. This |
| when the parents pass the defect on to their | | | | does not allow full transmission of sound and leads to |
| children. It means that people are born deaf and this | | | | partial hearing.o Drugs: There are certain drugs like |
| is generally caused by the malformations of the inner | | | | chloroquine, which lead to temporary deafness.o |
| ear.o Genetic Disorders: Genetic deafness occurs | | | | Age-related Hearing Loss: This type of hearing loss is |
| when the baby is in the mother's womb.o Prenatal | | | | commonly found in old people. This is normal and |
| Exposure to Disease: When pregnant mothers suffer | | | | rarely leads to deafness. Age-related hearing loss also |
| from rubella, influenza or mumps, the baby born will | | | | known as 'presbycusis' begins with loss of certain |
| either be deaf or will have some hearing problem.o | | | | speech sounds like 'S', 'F' and 'T'.o Tinnitus: Tinnitus is |
| Noise: Loud noise like gunshots, firecrackers, | | | | the ringing sound in the ears. Middle ear infection and |
| explosions and rock concerts tends to damage the | | | | damage caused by loud noises can cause tinnitus. |
| ear mechanisms. A single exposure to loud noise does | | | | This disease can cause psychiatric symptoms.o |
| not damage the eardrum. Repeated exposure to | | | | Occupational Hearing Loss: Men working in bars, pubs, |
| sound over a long period of time will affect the ear | | | | and nightclubs are liable to have their sense of |
| with moderate to severe hearing loss.o Disease: | | | | hearing impaired. Such people are exposed to loud |
| There are certain diseases that cause loss of hearing | | | | noise most of the time. The deafness is caused by |
| such as meningitis, mumps, chicken pox and | | | | the damage to the hair cells of the organ of Corti in |
| cytomegalovirus. In the case of meningitis, the inner | | | | the cochlea. |
| ear tends to become inflamed which leads to | | | | In addition to the above causes of deafness, there |
| deafness.o Trauma: A hole in the eardrum, a | | | | are many unknown causes. Loss of hearing is a |
| fractured skull or changes in air pressure lead to | | | | serious problem. Some say it is worse than losing |
| deafness.o Wax: The ear canal produces a waxy | | | | one's sight. People lose their quality of life due to the |
| substance, which is useful in lubricating and protecting | | | | isolating nature of the condition. |