Hearing Loss

Hearing loss, impairment or deafness may be of two major types: one that develops some time in life, one that a baby is born with – or congenital deafness. Most commonly, hearing loss is seen with age or is caused by exposure to loud noises.

What is hearing loss?

More than 10 million people in the United Kingdom have some form of hearing loss. Of these about 688,000 are severely or profoundly deaf.

Types of Hearing Loss

Causes of Hearing Loss

Symptoms and Diagnosis of Hearing Loss

Treatment of hearing loss

Preventing Noise-induced Hearing Loss

Age-Related Hearing Loss (ARHL) / Presbycusis

Hearing Loss Research

Sensorineural Hearing Loss (SNHL)

Conductive Hearing Loss

Newborn Hearing Screening

Dealing with Hearing Loss

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Hearing Loss and Genetics

Latest Hearing Loss News and Research

Researchers develop a genetic patch to prevent hereditary deafness

They can hear well up to about forty years old, but then suddenly deafness strikes people with DFNA9. The cells of the inner ear can no longer reverse the damage caused by a genetic defect in their DNA.

2 Mar 2021

New poll spotlights a major gap in testing for hearing loss in older adults

Eighty percent of Americans over 50 say their primary care doctor hasn't asked about their hearing in the past two years, and nearly as many - 77% -- haven't had their hearing checked by a professional in that same time, according to a new national poll report.

2 Mar 2021

Interhemispheric connectivity important for integration of speech sound information, study shows

When we listen to speech sounds, the information that enters our left and right ear is not exactly the same.

13 Feb 2021

Study characterizes cisplatin-induced hearing loss in pediatric cancer patients

Cisplatin is one of the most effective chemotherapy agents, used in just under half of pediatric cancer cases.

13 Feb 2021

Implant improves quality of life in patients with bilateral vestibular hypofunction

Getting around without the need to concentrate on every step is something most of us can take for granted because our inner ears drive reflexes that make maintaining balance automatic.

12 Feb 2021

Combined vision and hearing loss linked to depression, chronic anxiety

People with combined vision and hearing loss are nearly four times more likely to experience depression and more than three times more likely to suffer chronic anxiety, according to a new study published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology and led by Anglia Ruskin University..

28 Jan 2021

Fetal and neonatal therapy combination may lessen the aftereffects of congenital CMV infection

A cross-institutional research group has revealed for the first time in the world that infants with symptomatic congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection who were treated with a combination of immunoglobulin fetal therapy and neonatal therapy with antiviral drugs were less likely to experience the severe aftereffects associated with the infection than those who only received the neonatal therapy.

28 Jan 2021

Sodium fluorescein may improve the safety and outcomes of vestibular schwannoma surgery

Removing a vestibular schwannoma -; a slow-growing, benign tumor that develops in the nerves connecting the inner ear to the brain -; is a delicate procedure. Surgeons must differentiate the tumor from nearby nerves, arteries, and other intracranial structures.

26 Jan 2021

Researchers analyze varying structure of ear canals to improve comfort, efficiency of earplugs

Noise exposure accounts for 22% of worldwide work-related health problems. Excessive noise not only causes hearing loss and tinnitus, but also increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases. T

8 Jan 2021

Scientists aim to understand bone-conducted speech transmission process

The perception of our own voice depends on sound transmission through air (air-conducted) as well as through the skull bone (bone-conducted or BC). The transmission properties of BC speech are, however, not well understood.

7 Jan 2021

Repurposed drug can treat hearing loss in humans

According to the World Health Organization, around 466 million people worldwide have disabling hearing loss, a number the organization projects will double by 2050 to affect 1 in 10 people.

7 Jan 2021

Study presents novel gene therapy for deafness

A new study from Tel Aviv University presents an innovative treatment for deafness, based on the delivery of genetic material into the cells of the inner ear.

23 Dec 2020

New study evaluates how different face masks affect the acoustics of speech

Researcher Ryan Corey recently heard from a friend who teaches at a school where some of the students have hearing loss.

23 Dec 2020

Hearing loss, high blood sugar linked to poor cognitive performance among older Latinos

Hearing loss and diabetes are major public health problems, with Latinos at higher risk than other demographic groups.

18 Dec 2020

Study shows COVID-19 infection does not damage the auditory system

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been reports in the professional literature on possible hearing loss caused by the disease. A new study from Tel Aviv University (TAU), in collaboration with the Galilee Medical Center, finds no evidence of damage to the auditory system as a result of COVID-19 infection.

15 Dec 2020

Experts address the global burden of brain diseases

Think Brain Health - a policy, clinical and research challenge, a virtual meeting featuring expert speakers in the field of neurodegenerative diseases, addressed current and future opportunities to help everyone achieve good brain health.

3 Dec 2020

Overcoming pediatric drug-resistant TB crisis

World Children's Day marks the day, over three decades ago, on which world leaders adopted the historic Convention of the Rights of the Child, promising to every child to promote and protect their rights, including the right to life and the right to health.

30 Nov 2020

Hearing loss experts urge FDA to permit the sale of OTC hearing aids

Hearing loss experts at Mass Eye and Ear are advocating for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to implement a law passed by Congress permitting the sale of over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids.

19 Nov 2020

Somatic mutation may act as a natural gene therapy in patients with rare autosomal disease

Researchers affiliated with the Center for Cell-Based Therapy in Ribeirão Preto, Brazil, have identified for the first time a non-hereditary mutation in blood cells from a patient with GATA2 deficiency, a rare autosomal disease caused by inherited mutations in the gene that encodes GATA-binding protein 2 (GATA2).

17 Nov 2020

Hearing test could help identify newborns with autism

For years, researchers have known through numerous studies that hearing and other sensory systems of adults and children who have autism differ from children or adults without autism.

12 Nov 2020