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

Recent Developments in Hearing Technology

What is Safe Listening?

Latest Hearing Loss News and Research

Tinnitus linked to obesity and body composition in men, study finds

Study finds a significant link between tinnitus and body composition, particularly highlighting higher obesity-related inflammation in men as a potential factor.

17 Jul 2024

Gene editing silences mutant microRNA, restores hearing in adult mice

Researchers have used gene editing to restore hearing in adult mice with a type of inherited hearing loss. They showed that shutting down a damaged copy of a gene called a microRNA (miRNA) enabled the animals to regain hearing. The approach by a research team supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), reported in Science Translational Medicine, may eventually lead to potential treatments for inherited hearing loss in people.

13 Jul 2024

New gene editing technique offers hope for millions

A team led by Mass Eye and Ear researchers has demonstrated for the first time a successful restoration of hearing through a novel, in vivo genome editing approach in an adult mouse model with a form of inherited deafness caused by mutations in microRNA.

11 Jul 2024

Neanderthal child with Down syndrome reveals ancient caregiving practices

Research reveals that Neanderthals provided extensive caregiving, allowing a child with Down syndrome and congenital ear pathology to survive for at least six years, highlighting their complex social structures.

1 Jul 2024

Breakthrough in auditory research: Supranormal hearing achieved

A study from Michigan Medicine's Kresge Hearing Research Institute was able to produce supranormal hearing in mice, while also supporting a hypothesis on the cause of hidden hearing loss in humans.

28 Jun 2024

Long-term effects of chemotherapy on hearing and quality of life in testicular cancer survivors

An interdisciplinary study led by researchers at the University of South Florida and Indiana University has uncovered significant findings on the long-term effects of one of the most common forms of chemotherapy on cancer survivors.

28 Jun 2024

Study documents the first case of Down syndrome in Neandertals

A new study published by an international multidisciplinary team of researchers including faculty at Binghamton University, State University of New York, documents the first case of Down syndrome in Neandertals and reveals that they were capable of providing altruistic care and support for a vulnerable member of their social group.

26 Jun 2024

Gene therapy trial: restored hearing in children with hereditary deafness

The safety and effectiveness of binaural adeno-associated virus 1 (AAV1)-human otoferlin (hOTOF) therapy in five children with autosomal recessive deafness 9 (DFNB9).

7 Jun 2024

Aircraft noise exposure linked to higher obesity risk in women

The associations between aircraft noise and obesity among female nurses living near 90 United States (US) airports.

6 Jun 2024

New bilateral gene therapy shows promising results in treating genetic hearing loss

A novel gene therapy designed to target a form of inherited deafness restored hearing function in five children who were treated in both ears.

5 Jun 2024

4 ways vaccine skeptics mislead you on measles and more

Measles is on the rise in the United States. So far this year, the number of cases is about 17 times what it was, on average, during the same period in each of the four years before, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

22 May 2024

Study sheds light on challenges faced by caregivers of children with genetic conditions

When it comes to improving the lives of children with genetic conditions, medical research often focuses solely on the children. But there is an equally important population in need of research that a faculty member at the University of Colorado Department of Medicine is highlighting -; the caregivers.

10 May 2024

Global research offers insights about health burden disparities between genders

Globally, there are substantial differences between females and males (aged 10 and older) when it comes to health, with limited progress in bridging these health gaps over the past 30 years, according to a new study examining the disparities in the 20 leading causes of disease burden between females and males, across ages and regions, published in The Lancet Public Health journal.

2 May 2024

WHO and Government of France host high-level meeting to combat meningitis

Global leaders highlight the need to defeat meningitis – a leading cause of disability – at a high-level meeting co-hosted by the World Health Organization and Government of France, under the High Patronage of Emmanuel Macron, President of the French Republic.

26 Apr 2024