September 30th is the World Deaf Day. Recently, the reporter noticed some elderly people in the interview, many of them are deaf. Some people say that people who are deaf are less troubled, don't they bother if they don't listen! However, during the interview, the reporter found that deaf people have a lot of troubles in life. When they communicate with others, they either rely on guessing or cannot understand. They can only look at the other person's mouth in a daze. If you lose your sense of hearing, you also lose the fun and enjoyment that sound brings to people, and even the convenience that sound brings to life. Is it true that deafness occurs in the elderly? To this end, I consulted Professor Lu Yongde, the chief physician and doctoral supervisor of the Deaf Specialist Clinic of the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University.　　

 

Professor Lu said: As people are old, the auditory organs are aging, and hearing loss is an irresistible physiological law. However, there is a big difference in how soon or late hearing loss occurs, its degree, and the speed of development. Some have hearing loss at the age of 40 or 50, and some have good hearing at the age of 80 or 90. Generally speaking, presbycusis is mainly related to the following reasons: First, genetic factors. Deafness is related to genetic genes. The sooner or later the parents suffer from deafness determines the sooner or later their children suffer from deafness. The onset of presbycusis has family factors. The second is noise. There are more deaf patients in urban areas than in rural areas, and appear earlier than rural areas. The main reason is that urban noise is louder. If the noise caused by cars, machinery, infrastructure, etc. to urban residents is higher than 60-70 decibels, it will damage the hair cells of the ears and affect hearing. The third is cardiovascular disease. When the elderly suffer from arteriosclerosis, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and coronary heart disease, the internal auditory arteries will also become hardened. Since the internal auditory artery is the terminal blood vessel, there is no collateral circulation. If there are diseases such as sclerosis and stenosis, the blood and oxygen supply to the inner ear will decrease, and hearing will be reduced. The fourth is the harm of smoking. If you smoke on the basis of arteriosclerosis, the sulfur dioxide, nicotine, and coal tar in the smoke will stimulate the auditory artery of the inner ear, causing it to spasm, ischemia, and hypoxia, causing the cochlear hair cells to degenerate and degenerate and hearing loss. Fifth, the abuse of ototoxic drugs, mainly aminoglycoside antibiotics such as gentamicin, streptomycin, kanamycin, neomycin, etc., all have ototoxicity. However, the detoxification function of the liver and the detoxification function of the kidneys in the elderly are reduced, which may cause the accumulation of drugs and cause ototoxicity. According to the survey, the ototoxicity of these drugs used by the elderly over 60 is 2.5 to 3 times greater than that of young adults. Therefore, the use of these drugs should be strictly controlled. Sixth, metabolic disorders. Patients with hypertension, diabetes, and hypothyroidism develop early and develop faster deafness, especially those with both hypertension and diabetes. Seven is the nutritional factor. Long-term consumption of high-fat, high-salt, and high-sugar foods can easily lead to senile diseases and corresponding presbycusis. Eighth, being too nervous and tired can also cause deafness. Professor Lu specifically pointed out that the first five are the main reasons. Preventing these reasons can protect the fragile hearing of the elderly.　　

 

Professor Lu emphasized: Although hearing loss is an inevitable law with age, if the elderly have asymmetrical hearing in both ears, the difference between one side and the other is good, the difference is 40-50 decibels, the cause of the disease must be considered, such as Otitis media and other conditions. Because senile physiological deafness is bilaterally symmetrical, with a difference of only 10-20 decibels, the hearing test generally shows a decrease in high frequency; if it is otitis media, there is generally a decrease in low frequency. If the elderly have serious tinnitus, dizziness, and balance disturbances while experiencing deafness, it means that the inner ear problem is serious and should be consulted as soon as possible.