With the aging of the population, hearing impairment is not only a public health problem, but also a social problem.According to research surveys, the total population of China will continue to decline from 2015 to 2050. The population under 70 years old will gradually decrease, and the population over 70 years old will gradually increase. China’s aging phenomenon is becoming increasingly prominent.
Senile hearing loss refers to the slow and progressive aging process of the human auditory organs along with other tissues and organs of the body and the physiological phenomenon of hearing loss due to aging.With the increase of age, people’s physiology and psychology are constantly changing. Some medical diseases may also be closely related to presbycusis, such as: high blood pressure, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, etc., the cause of hearing loss due to hyperlipidemia may be It is because the blood is in a state of high viscosity and high coagulation, increased platelet aggregation, and small fat plugs, etc., can cause hypoxia in the inner ear, and the blood vessels leading to the inner ear are very thin, and ultimately cannot get nourishment and damage.The mechanism of diabetes’s damage to hearing is unknown. It may be that hyperglycemia causes changes in the osmotic pressure of the labyrinth of the inner ear, causing damage to the structure and function of hair cells.Diabetes also causes microcirculation disorders, which affect the blood supply and supply of the inner ear and the normal circulation of lymph fluid, damage the cell function of the inner ear, and cause hearing loss.
The etiology of presbycusis in modern society is complicated, and it is difficult to find patients with pure age factors.The aging of the auditory system is also based on the mechanism of cell apoptosis. Presbycusis is a kind of sensorineural deafness. The lesions mainly occur in the inner ear, the atrophy and loss of cochlear hair cells and supporting cells; the thickening and fibrosis of the cochlear basement membrane, and the atrophy of stria vascularis. Degeneration and decreased blood flow, spiral ligament degeneration, etc.In addition to the inner ear, these senile degenerations are also manifested in neurons at all levels of auditory nuclei-cochlear nucleus, superior olive nucleus, lateral colliculus nucleus, inferior colliculus nucleus, medial geniculate nucleus, and even the auditory cortex. .Compared with general sensorineural hearing loss, the physiological and pathological changes of presbycusis are not limited to the middle ear, cochlear hair cells, stria vascularis and other results, but also involve afferent and efferent nerve fibers and nerves on the central conduction pathway at various levels. The degeneration of the nucleus.Senile degeneration of the middle ear, such as tympanic membrane hypertrophy, reduced elasticity, loose or calcified ossicular joint ligaments, can cause conductive hearing impairment.Inner ear degeneration. The degeneration of the inner ear cells in the elderly is manifested by reduced nuclear division, and the synthesis of nucleoprotein reduces the accumulation of pigments and insoluble substances in the cytoplasm, resulting in cell degeneration and atrophy.
Hearing loss has a negative impact on quality of life, cognitive ability, emotion, social behavior and communication skills.Hearing loss can also reduce the elderly’s ability to live independently.There is a certain connection between hearing impairment and overall dysfunction. With the aggravation of individual hearing loss, the degree of psychosocial and physical impairment is also increasing.There is a certain connection between hearing impairment and overall dysfunction.These findings again link age-related hearing loss with functional impairment.Many elderly people are unwilling to let others know if they find that they have a hearing impairment, including their own family members. Hearing aid , The elderly also choose to avoid or refuse, the main reason is for themselves, right Hearing aid , Lack of understanding and confidence in the rehabilitation process.
Alzheimer’s disease is a primary degenerative disease of the central nervous system. It is mainly caused by diffuse atrophy of the brain, especially frontal and temporal lobes. The cause of the disease is unknown. Even patients with mild senile dementia have clear central hearing. Damage, it may be an early sign of Alzheimer’s.The possibility of hearing impaired people with Alzheimer’s will increase due to the aggravation of hearing. When the hearing loss is improved, the symptoms of Alzheimer’s will be reduced.Wearing hearing aids to improve hearing is the most effective measure to treat presbycusis.Due to long-term communication barriers, people with hearing loss can easily go to extremes, become paranoid, quirky, and suspicious. They will gradually avoid communicating with others and close themselves and isolate themselves from the world. Some people with hearing loss will eventually suffer from hearing loss. Mental breakdown.
In fact, after everyone reaches the age of age, hearing loss occurs to some extent. What kind of difficulties and harms will the hearing loss of the elderly bring to the elderly?
XNUMX. “Communication difficulties”: Hearing loss directly causes hearing impairment, especially sensorineuralHearing lossWhen the high-frequency hair cells responsible for sound recognition begin to show disease, people with hearing loss begin to have the problem of “hearing, inaudible”, which leads to “difficulty in communication.”This communication difficulty is particularly prominent in a noisy environment. It will make it difficult for them to distinguish speech and deviations in communication, which will cause unnecessary embarrassment and contradictions, which we do not want to appear.
XNUMX. Increase the feeling of “psychological exhaustion”: When people with hearing loss want to hear the other party’s words clearly, they will undoubtedly have to put more energy into analyzing what the other party is saying. Such long-term communication will inevitably lead to exhaustion. .And this sense of exhaustion comes not only from the body, but also from the psychology.
XNUMX. Increasing the feeling of “social isolation”: Hearing loss is a process of gradual aggravation. When the hearing loss gets worse, people with hearing loss will find that they can’t hear the words of the people around them more and more, and at the same time they will communicate more and more. Seriously, when you are tired of listening and do not want to communicate, when people around you are alienated from you because of difficulties in communicating with you, a sense of social isolation will follow.They will feel that they are gradually moving away from and isolated from society.
Fourth, lead to “depression”: when you become anxious and unable to hear other people’s conversations, when you begin to isolate society, and your personal presence becomes weaker and weaker, a kind of anxiety and depression begin to emerge spontaneously.Some people even have thoughts of committing suicide!
2002. “Heart Problems”: According to the China Audiology Network, studies in the United States and many countries have shown that hearing loss is related to cardiovascular disease (CVD).Among them, an epidemiological survey of hearing loss conducted in Wisconsin, USA in 54 showed that subjects with a history of cardiovascular disease are about XNUMX% more likely to have cochlear function impairment than subjects without the same medical history.
10. “Dementia”: Many studies have shown that hearing loss is related to Alzheimer’s disease.Studies have even shown that for patients with hearing loss, for every 20dB increase in their hearing threshold, their risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease will increase by XNUMX%.Hearing loss is not only damage to the auditory organs, but also directly affects the patient’s central nervous system and brain information processing capabilities.As the hearing loss gets worse and the amount of sound control received by the brain becomes less and less, the brain’s ability to move will gradually be lost, leading to Alzheimer’s disease. Therefore, people often say that the elderly are “ten deaf and nine stupid.” .
Studying diligently and using the brain diligently is a good way to prevent Alzheimer’s disease. Family care and communication are also a good way to prevent Alzheimer’s disease. Of course, for the elderly suffering from hearing loss, choosing a suitable hearing aid is the first thing.With the tools to communicate with the outside world, the elderly can communicate with others more, exercise more, and participate in various dark gray activities that are beneficial to the body and mind. These can effectively prevent the occurrence of Alzheimer’s disease.
