Presbycusis

Although there are many people that reach old age with acceptable hearing, the common thing is for this ability to decline through time. In some old people this decline, called presbycusis, is very strong and can originate in various physiological problems.

Hearing loss can start at 40 years of age in some people with hereditary preconditions. In general, it advances slowly but progressively, until clearly manifesting at the age of 60. Finally, in the elderly, it reaches an important level of hearing loss, capable of affecting communication and social skills.

The name presbycusis derives from the Greek: presbyte, which means old, acusia, which means hearing.

According to the person’s problem, it can be a sensorial, nervous, cochlear, atrophic or vascular presbycusis. In all cases, a decrease of the audiometric curve is progressively produced, which starts to become evident first with high tones and continues by affecting the low ones.

One of this problem’s origins is often related to the life long ingestion of tobacco or alcohol, but can also be caused by cholesterol, excess noise, unbalanced diets and, unavoidably, heredity factors.

Hearing loss is not a sudden phenomenon, it’s effects are slowly perceived. There are various symptoms that indicate the appearance of the problem. It will be necessary to make the television or radio volume higher, or ask others to speak up because, although they can hear somebody speak, they can’t understand what is being said.

When facing these symptoms, it is necessary to immediately consult a qualified professional, such as the audiologist and the othorhinolaryngologist, for receiving a real diagnosis of the situation. Most of the time it is a problem of easy or viable solution, if it is promptly detected and the proper hearing aids are used.

Generally, these resources are the earphones, prescribed in most cases, and a surgical intervention, which can be an option for others.

Collaborated in this article: Lic. Corina Morange

Findings show that there were people in Babylonia who carried out surgical interventions.