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

Large-scale analysis of Alport syndrome reveals the effectiveness of existing treatments

A large-scale analysis of the clinical characteristics of Alport syndrome in Japanese patients has revealed that the effectiveness of existing treatment with ACE inhibitors and/or angiotensin receptor blockers (RAS inhibitors) varies depending on the type of mutation in the syndrome's causal gene (COL4A5).

7 Aug 2020

Online 'boosters' may provide a pathway for hearing protection behaviors among farm youths

Researchers at the University of Michigan are interested in changing the behavior of some 2 million farm youths affected by hazardous noise exposure and hearing loss in the United States.

5 Aug 2020

40% of dementia cases could be prevented or delayed by modifying 12 risk factors

Modifying 12 risk factors over a lifetime could delay or prevent 40% of dementia cases, according to an updated report by the Lancet Commission on dementia prevention, intervention and care presented at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference.

30 Jul 2020

Childhood cancer survivors with hearing loss at increased risk for neurocognitive deficits

Scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital are studying how hearing loss can affect the neurocognitive abilities of childhood cancer survivors.

30 Jul 2020

Technology divide between senior ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’ roils pandemic response

Family gatherings on Zoom and FaceTime. Online orders from grocery stores and pharmacies. Telehealth appointments with physicians.

24 Jul 2020

Study identifies common characteristics of pediatric vestibular schwannomas

Vestibular schwannomas, more commonly known as acoustic neuromas, are benign brain tumors that develop on the balance (vestibular) and hearing or auditory nerves leading from the inner ear to the brain.

23 Jul 2020

Optical cochlear implant based on LED lights can safely restore hearing in deaf rats

Scientists have created an optical cochlear implant based on LED lights that can safely and partially restore the sensation of hearing in deaf rats and gerbils.

23 Jul 2020

Age-related hearing loss mainly caused by damage to hair cells, study shows

In a new study of human ear tissues, hearing scientists have demonstrated that age-related hearing loss, also called presbycusis, is mainly caused by damage to hair cells, the sensory cells in the inner ear that transform sound-induced vibrations into the electrical signals that are relayed to the brain by the auditory nerve.

20 Jul 2020

Premature babies are exposed to high noise levels in the incubator, shows study

What do premature babies hear while lying in an incubator? That is the question addressed by an interdisciplinary team from the Medical University of Vienna, led by Vito Giordano (neuroscientist at the Division of Neonatology, Pediatric Intensive Care and Neuropediatrics at the Comprehensive Center for Pediatrics (CCP) of Medical University of Vienna) and by music physiologist Matthias Bertsch from the University of Music and the Performing Arts in the recent study "The Sound of Silence", published in the journal "Frontiers in Psychology".

20 Jul 2020

Blood vessels communicate with sensory neurons to regulate their proliferation

Researchers at Pompeu Fabra University have shown for the first time that blood vessels communicate with neurons in the peripheral nervous system, regulating their proliferation and differentiation.

16 Jul 2020

NEOMED researcher receives federal grant to produce first human tinnitus treatment

Northeast Ohio Medical University researcher and professor of anatomy and neurobiology Jianxin Bao, Ph.D., has received a large federal grant to produce the first human treatment for tinnitus, a disruptive hearing impairment marked by the perception of ringing or buzzing in one or both ears.

16 Jul 2020

Age-related hearing loss can negatively affect cognitive test outcomes

The early and correct diagnosis of a cognitive impairment - such as dementia - is crucial as it allows interventions and treatments that may slow the progression of a patient's symptoms to be quickly put in place.

10 Jul 2020

Dual sensory impairment in older adults linked to higher risk for dementia

Older adults with both hearing and visual impairments—or dual sensory impairment—had a significantly higher risk for dementia in a recent study published in Alzheimer's & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring.

8 Jul 2020

Scientists find a simpler approach to generate sensory cells of the inner ear

Scientists from the USC Stem Cell laboratories of Neil Segil and Justin Ichida are whispering the secrets of a simpler way to generate the sensory cells of the inner ear.

1 Jul 2020

New nanoparticle drug combination can help treat atherosclerosis

Physicochemical cargo-switching nanoparticles (CSNP) designed by KAIST can help significantly reduce cholesterol and macrophage foam cells in arteries, which are the two main triggers for atherosclerotic plaque and inflammation.

17 Jun 2020

Children with developmental disabilities at greater risk of developing asthma

Children with developmental disabilities or delay are more at risk of developing asthma, according to a new study published in JAMA Network Open led by public health researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston as part of the Center for Pediatric Population Health.

16 Jun 2020