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Age-related hearing loss can be a confusing, frustrating, and even debilitating part of growing older. Understanding what it is and how it works can help you find the best ways of coping with it.
Hearing loss that is directly related to aging, which is also known as presbycusis, is almost impossible to link to any one specific cause. However there are several factors, some of which we can effect but most of which are beyond our control, that may be part of the cause.
Heredity is believed to play an important role in determining whether we experience hearing impairment as we age. Having parents and/or grandparents who became hard of hearing when they got older increases the odds that that you may lose some hearing capability.
Exposure to loud noises can contribute to the problem. People who work in a very noisy environment are at greater risk of hearing impairment. Listening to very loud music for long periods of time, particularly through earphones, may add to the problem.
Age, gender, and race can effect your odds of hearing impairment. There is no specific age at which hearing loss is automatically designated as age-related, though it's rarely diagnosed in people under 50. The older we get the greater the risk, and about half of all people 65 and over experience some level of hearing loss.
Men seem to be at considerably greater risk of age related hearing problems than women. Research by the National Academy on Aging Society indicates that some 60% of all people with hearing loss are men, and the older we get the greater the variance becomes.
Whites are more likely to experience hearing loss than blacks at all ages, but the gap widens as the population ages. According to the NAAS whites make up 83% of the general population in the US, but they comprise 91% of the hearing impaired population.
The mechanics of age-related hearing loss
The physical mechanics of hearing loss related to aging involves gradual changes to the structure of the inner ear. The most common change takes place in the cochlea, the part of the inner ear that enables us to hear high-pitched sounds. Tiny hairs inside the cochlea pick up vibrations and transform them to nerve signals that we interpret as sound. As part of the natural aging process, some of those hairs and nerve endings are lost. Since they do not grow back, this type of hearing loss is permanent.
Presbycusis can also be caused by other changes within the ear, including a loss of flexibility in the cochlea and damage to the acoustic nerve.
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