【Love Ear】Healthy ears·Scientific ear protection

March 3, 2022 is the 23rd National "Love Your Ears Day". This year's theme is "Care for your hearing health and listen to a wonderful future."

March 3, 2022 is also World Hearing Day. This year's theme is "Use your ears carefully and have good hearing for a lifetime."

The origin of National "Love Your Ears Day"

According to the total population of my country in the sixth national census, and the proportion of disabled people in my country to the total population and the proportion of various types of disabled people to the total number of disabled people in the second national sample survey of disabled people, it is estimated that the total number of disabled people in my country was 85.02 million at the end of 2010. The number of disabled people in various categories is as follows: 12.63 million people with visual impairment; 20.54 million people with hearing impairment; 1.3 million people with speech impairment; 24.72 million people with physical impairment; 5.68 million people with intellectual impairment; 6.29 million people with mental impairment; and 13.86 million people with multiple disabilities.

In response to the high incidence, large number and serious harm of deafness and the weak prevention work, in 2000, 10 national ministries and commissions jointly decided to designate March 3 of each year as "National Ear Care Day".

Prevention plays an important role in reducing the incidence of deafness and controlling the increase in the number of newborn deaf children. The World Health Organization estimates that 50% of hearing loss can be prevented through public health measures. According to experts, if the "Love Ears Day" activity can be successfully implemented, at least 10,000 to 20,000 children under the age of 7 who suffer from drug-induced deafness can be reduced each year.

Hearing impairment If a person cannot hear sounds like a normal hearing person (which means the hearing threshold of both ears reaches 20 decibels or higher), it is called hearing loss. It can be mild, moderate, moderately severe, severe or profound, and can affect one or both ears. It is generally believed that if the average hearing threshold of the language frequency (0.5, 1.2Hz) is above 26dB, there is hearing impairment. Hearing loss within 70dB is called hard of hearing, and above 70dB is called deafness. Clinically, it is usually called deafness.

Deafness and hearing loss are common in every region and country. An estimated 466 million people worldwide (5% of the population) suffer from disabling hearing loss, a number projected to rise to 900 million by 2050. Today, approximately 34 million children worldwide suffer from deafness or hearing loss, with 60% of cases due to preventable causes.

Hearing loss can affect the ability to communicate with others, language development, leading to social isolation, loneliness and depression, and even affect academic performance and employment options.

The World Health Organization estimates that global hearing aid production meets only 3% of demand in these countries.

Causes of Hearing Impairment The main causes of hearing loss include:

congenital or early-onset childhood hearing loss;

Chronic middle ear infection;

Noise-induced hearing loss;

Age-related hearing loss;

Ototoxic drugs that damage the inner ear.

The consequences of hearing impairment and deafness are so serious, so prevention of deafness is of utmost importance. The following are common preventive measures:

1) Use medication safely

More than ten drugs commonly used in clinical practice can damage the auditory nerve, namely: streptomycin, dihydrostreptomycin, neomycin, kanamycin, gentamicin, puromycin, kasugamycin, polymyxin, and vancomycin.

2) Active prevention during pregnancy

Pregnant women should avoid going to too crowded places and avoid being infected with infectious diseases such as viral colds, mumps, encephalitis, etc. They should also try to avoid exposure to X-rays to reduce the potential risk factors for congenital deafness in the fetus.

3) Control your emotions

Excessive excitement, impatience and anger are also important factors that cause sudden deafness.

4) Live a good life and protect your ears

Personal lifestyle is also important. If you are exposed to loud sounds and music, you can wear protective equipment such as earplugs for noise reduction protection and keep the volume low (the device volume is 60% of the maximum volume); do not insert anything into the ears.

5) Early intervention for existing hearing impairment

For hearing loss that has already occurred, early intervention can reduce symptoms and prevent further progression, including specialized education and sign language instruction for young children and their families. Assistive technology, such as hearing aids, cochlear implants, closed captioning, and other devices, can help people with hearing loss at any age.

I hope that through this article, everyone can learn more about hearing impairment. Taking proactive preventive measures at an early stage can effectively reduce the incidence of deafness.

Scientific ears,

Protect your ears carefully,

We can all do it!