Hearing loss, or better known as deafness, is the loss of hearing in one or both ears. This can be mild to severe, affecting communication and the quality of life of people, especially in the elderly. Dr. Jorge Centeno, otolaryngologist at Clinica Ricardo Palma, comments that this disease can induce depression, disconnection with the environment, aggravation of senile dementia or irritability, therefore, our specialist gives us more information on this topic.

What are the factors that induce hearing loss in the elderly?

There are several factors by which this disease occurs, among them are: the degeneration of the senses due to age, genetics, hypertension, diabetes, having received toxic drugs for the ear, previous chronic exposure to noise, among others.

Symptoms

Some of the symptoms that can be identified are the following:

• Hearing loss detected by the patient himself or by his own environment
• The patient does not perceive some everyday sounds
• Presence of internal noises, or also called tinnitus, which can be felt in one or both ears, becoming very annoying
• Distortion in the sounds heard

Treatment

There is no curative treatment; however, hearing loss can be corrected by helping the patient reestablish communication and family and social inclusion. For this, unilateral or bilateral hearing aids are usually indicated and in case of very severe losses the cochlear implant can be indicated. This is a sophisticated electrical device that replaces the function of the damaged inner ear (cochlea).

Can hearing loss be prevented?

Yes. However, it is natural that hearing loss occurs in the elderly, the important thing is to reduce this loss so that it does not become a more serious problem. Therefore, preventive measures should be taken before entering this stage of life, such as: avoiding prolonged exposures to loud noises, not self-medicating, keeping comorbidities under control or using medicated hearing aids early.

It is essential to highlight the importance of having periodic hearing checks, in addition to receiving a good diagnosis through a complete questioning and different objective and subjective hearing tests. For example: audiometry, auditory evoked potentials, among others.

Dr. Jorge Centeno
Otolaryngologist at Clinica Ricardo Palma