Hearing loss in old age

The causes of hearing loss with advancing age

The efficiency of the hearing decreases in the course of life. In many cases, hearing loss is often measured and felt starting from the age of 50. The hearing loss is mainly due to wear and tear in the inner ear. In addition, the auditory nerve and the auditory centre show age-related impairments.

Many other factors could lead to hearing loss in old age. In particular, environmental noise, medication, smoking, overweight, diseases and genetic predisposition.

Hearing loss in old age seems to be at least partly due to civilisation. Hearing measurements of Aboriginal people in Australia showed that older Aborigines could still hear almost as well as younger ones. This led to the conclusion that human hearing is much more exposed to wear and tear in industrialised countries than in less developed regions.

Typical symptoms of hearing loss in old age

Age-related hearing loss is a gradual process that affects both ears. Those affected can usually hear the high-pitched sounds less well or not at all, and their ability to understand speech during conversations - especially in a group of several people - is limited. The cause is usually wear and tear of the hair cells in the inner ear, but the auditory nerve or the hearing centre can also be affected by the ageing process.

Those affected by age-related hearing loss are often particularly sensitive to noise and find everyday sounds painful. Age-related hearing loss can also be accompanied by constant ringing in the ears, tinnitus.

As a rule, a hearing aid is the measure to counteract hearing loss in advanced age.

We can use hearing protection to prevent hearing loss especially for people who are always in a noisy environment.