Pardon me, but can you speak louder?

Luckily for me and the 30-million other Americans affected by gradual hearing loss, research is paving the way for breakthroughs in eliminating age-related hearing loss.

By Dr. David Lipschitz, Special to the Times
Published May 29, 2007

At almost 6 feet 4, I used to love having a first-class vantage point - especially helpful when navigating large parties. But my height is now causing a problem: I can't hear.

At most events, many people are speaking about a foot below my ears and, combined with the background noise, I cannot hear a thing. At 64, my hearing is failing me.

But luckily for me and the 30-million other Americans affected by gradual hearing loss, research is paving the way for breakthroughs in eliminating age-related hearing loss.

In a recent study published in the journal Developmental Neuroscience, researchers from Case Western University have isolated stem cells from the middle ear of mice and used them to correct age-related hearing loss in older mice. This is a huge advance that could ultimately affect millions.

Gradual hearing loss is the third most common chronic illness in America. An estimated third of the population older than 60 has difficulty hearing; that increases to 50 percent of those age 85.

For older patients, hearing loss can be isolating and may interfere with one's ability to remain independent.

Causes of hearing loss

Most hearing loss in older people is permanent and cannot be corrected medically or surgically. This is typically sensorineural hearing loss, which can be caused by loss of tiny hairs in the middle ear that act as microphones to amplify sound.

Not only is sound reduced, but the ability to understand speech is affected.

Loud noise, damage to the nerves from the ear to the brain, and a number of medications taken incorrectly also can affect hearing.

A less common problem, conductive hearing loss, is caused by reduced conduction of sound through the ear canal to the eardrum and the tiny bones in the middle ear, called ossicles. This can result from excessive accumulation of earwax, fluid buildup in the middle ear from colds, ear infections or allergies, a perforated eardrum or even a foreign body within the ear.

Hearing soft, faint sound becomes difficult, and often only one ear is affected. This is correctable by medical management or surgery.

Prevention and coping

Hearing loss can be reduced by avoiding loud noises in the workplace, wearing earplugs at concerts, keeping the radio or TV volume down, and watching the noise level when wearing headphones.

Never put foreign objects into your ear, including cotton swabs.

Take medications exactly as directed and make sure your doctor is aware of any condition that can affect medication use, especially kidney problems.

Ear infections must be promptly treated, and make sure that you are up-to-date on vaccines for mumps, whooping cough and measles, all conditions that can damage hearing.

For people with pervasive hearing loss, a hearing test is often needed to determine if a hearing aid will be beneficial. If nerve damage is the cause, no treatment is available. If the cause is loss of hair cells in the middle ear, hearing aids are effective and increasingly sophisticated.

Unfortunately, most often the high costs of hearing aids mean that only one of five people who would benefit from a hearing aid has one.

With or without hearing aids, there are ways to improve communication. When I call my mother, she frequently complains that she cannot hear me. Raising my voice does nothing more than blur the sound, making her even more irritated. If this is a problem for you as well, heed my advice:

If you want to be heard, get close to your parents or older friends, look them eye to eye and talk normally. Make sure that each sound you make is crisp and distinct.

Similarly, when talking on the phone, speak directly into the mouthpiece. Don't mumble, but don't shout, either.

Gerontologist David Lipschitz is the author of "Breaking the Rules of Aging." Write to him at askdrdavid@msn.com.

[Last modified May 28, 2007, 13:44:26]