Your hearing must last your lifetime
March 3, 2022 was World Hearing Day.
For nearly two decades, the World Health Organisation (WHO) each year provides a theme for ear care professionals and advocacy groups to embark on campaign activities with the aim of sharing information on prevention and appropriate management of ear and hearing issues.
Advertisement
This year’s theme, “to hear for life, listen with care”, stresses on safe listening that is necessary for each person to maintain good hearing all through his or her life. This has been necessitated by research and reports obtained over the years.
The WHO estimates that more than one billion young people put themselves at risk of permanent hearing loss, unknowingly, by listening to music at high intensity over long periods of time.
Also, population trends show a possible rise in global prevalence of hearing loss across life course, with estimates that by 2050, 2.5 billion (one in every four) people will experience hearing loss, with 700 million people living with moderate or higher levels of hearing loss in the better hearing ear.
Our sense of hearing enables us as social beings to perceive sounds and engage with the environment, forge and maintain relationships, experience life events, attain educational and economic independence and adds to the quality of life.
If unaddressed, hearing loss negatively impacts on one’s communication, development of language and speech in children, cognition, education, mental health, and interpersonal relationships. It also causes low self-esteem due to the associated stigma from people around.
There are various factors likely to affect one’s hearing and cause hearing loss throughout life’s span.
Focus on noise
We are surrounded by noise of all sorts in our environments, some meaningful, some unwanted. Our ears carry sensory cells that respond to sound and enables us to hear sounds, speeches, noise, etc., for us to respond to them.
Exposure to noise such as at a concert, stadium and in the street may cause some temporary effects that present as muffled hearing or ringing in ears. This may resolve with time. However, continuous exposure to loud or prolonged noise causes permanent, irreversible loss of hearing. Noise induced hearing loss may be sudden (from a blast, gunshot, firecracker, etc.) or gradual over time due to exposure above 85dBHL.
The World Health Assembly, in 2017, adapted resolution WHA 70.13 (6) which urges governments to integrate ear and hearing care into their national health system framework and instruct WHO to provide the evidence and tools for them to do so.
Defunctive activities are required to achieve this as well as some sustainable development goals (SDGs); SDG Three (good health and wellbeing), SDG Four (quality education); SDG Eight (decent work and economic growth); SDG10 (equality)
●There is a call for urgent public health action to mitigate the projected growth rate of persons with hearing loss.
●It is evident that there is lack of accurate information as well as stigmatising mindsets surrounding ear diseases and hearing loss with its resultant limited access to care.
●Even among health care providers, knowledge relevant to prevention, early identification and management may be lacking, thereby restricting the care they provide to those with ear and hearing needs (World Report on hearing 2021).
●It is estimated that there is a worldwide limited accessibility to hearing aids and cochlear, estimated that only about 17 per cent of those who would benefit actually use one.
●Furthermore, governmental leadership for EHC integration is lacking as seen by lack of strategic plans for available financial resources to address diseases and hearing loss.
Self-actions
The WHO usually presents a symbol of an egg wearing headphones to signify the fragility of our sense of hearing.
In using personal audio devices or staying in noisy environments,
1. Keep the volume down, do not use above 60 per cent level of device
2. Use well-fitted noise-cancellation headphones
3. When working or for leisure in noisy environments, use ear protectors
Advertisement
4. Limit time spent in noisy environments
5. Get apps to monitor sound levels when you work in noise or are part of a music band
6. Seek professional help when you notice signs such as ringing in ears, difficulty hearing, etc.
Ref: World Health Organisation (2021)- World report on hearing Geneva Licence: CC BY-NC-SA-3.0 IGO
The writer is the Deputy Chief Audiologist, Korle Bu Teaching Hospital
Advertisement