Hearing loss is currently a public health problem and scientists believe that it will become a lot more common for people in their 20’s to be wearing hearing aids.
Most people think of the elderly when they consider extreme hearing loss. But all age groups have seen a recent increase in hearing loss during the last few years. Increased hearing loss among all ages further illustrates that hearing loss isn’t an “aging problem,” but a growing epidemic.
With adults 20 and up, researchers forecast that hearing loss will increase by 40%. The healthcare community sees this as a major public health issue. According to John Hopkins medical researchers, one in five people is already dealing with hearing loss so extreme it makes communication challenging.
Let’s find out why experts are so concerned and what’s causing an increase in hearing loss amongst all age groups.
Additional Health Concerns Can be The Outcome of Hearing Loss
Severe hearing loss is an awful thing to cope with. Normal communication becomes difficult, aggravating, and fatiguing. It can cause people to stop doing what they enjoy and withdraw from friends and family. If you don’t seek help, it’s almost impossible to be active while going through significant hearing loss.
It’s not only diminished hearing that individuals with untreated hearing loss suffer from. They’re much more likely to experience:
- Injuries from repeated falls
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Other acute health conditions
- Cognitive decline
- Dementia
They’re also more likely to have difficulties with their personal friendships and may have trouble getting basic needs met.
Individuals who suffer from hearing loss are affected in their personal lives and may also have increased:
- Accident rates
- Healthcare expenses
- Needs for public assistance
- Insurance costs
- Disability rates
We need to fight hearing loss as a society because as these factors reveal, hearing loss is a real challenge.
What’s Causing Increased Hearing Loss Across Multiple Generations?
There are several factors causing the current rise in hearing loss. One factor is the increased incidence of common diseases that can cause hearing loss, including:
- Obesity
- Cardiovascular disease
- Anxiety and unmanaged stress
- High blood pressure
- Poor diet and a lack of consistent exercise
- Diabetes
More individuals are experiencing these and related disorders at earlier ages, which leads to added hearing loss.
Lifestyle also plays a significant role in the increased prevalence of hearing loss. In recreational and work areas particularly, it’s becoming more common to be exposed to loud noise. We’re being exposed to loud sounds and music in more places and modern technology is getting louder. It’s frequently the younger people who have the highest amount of noise exposure in:
- Shooting ranges
- Factories
- Gyms
- Bars, clubs, and concerts
In addition, many individuals are choosing to wear earbuds and turn their music up to harmful levels. And a greater number of individuals are now making use of painkillers, either to address chronic pain or recreationally. Continued, frequent use of opiates, ibuprofen, acetaminophen, and aspirin have also been linked to an increased danger of hearing loss.
How is Hearing Loss as a Health Problem Being Dealt With by Society?
Hearing loss is getting the attention of local, national, and world organizations. They’re working to prevent this upward trend by educating the public on hearing loss such as:
- Prevention
- Research
- Risk factors
- Treatment possibilities
These organizations also encourage individuals to:
- Wear their hearing aids
- Recognize their degree of hearing loss risk
- Have their hearing tested earlier in their lives
Hearing loss will worsen with any delay in these measures.
Solutions are being sought by government organizations, healthcare providers, and scientists. They’re also looking for ways to bring hearing-loss associated costs down. State-of-the-art hearing technology will be increased and lives will be significantly improved.
Broad approaches are being created by the World Health Organization (WHO) and other organizations as well as scientists. Lowering the risk of hearing loss in underserved communities is being addressed with health services, education, and awareness.
Among their efforts, they’ve formulated research-based guidelines for communities, which help local leaders understand the health impacts of noise. They describe what safe noise exposure is, and work with communities to decrease noise exposure for residents. Additionally, they are furthering research on how opiate use and abuse can raise the risk of hearing loss.
Can You do Anything?
Hearing loss is a public health issue so keep yourself informed. Take steps to slow the progression of your own hearing loss and share helpful information with other people.
If you believe you might be suffering from hearing loss, have your hearing examined. Make sure you get and wear your hearing aids if you learn that you need them.
The main goal is to avoid all hearing loss. When you wear your hearing aids, you help people recognize they’re not alone. You’re helping your community become more aware of the problems of hearing loss. Policies, actions. and attitudes will then be transformed by this awareness.