Hearing Loss in Middle Age? What is Presbycusis?

One constant worry for many Americans is whether they’re losing their hearing. From watching loved ones struggle with hearing loss to hearing buzzing noises after a loud concert, many people find themselves wondering when and if their hearing might start to go.

Many people (wrongly) assume that hearing loss only affects those in the later stages of life. However, while not as common, hearing loss can affect people of all ages.

The term for age-related hearing loss that gradually occurs in most of us as we grow older is presbycusis. It is one of the most common conditions affecting older and elderly adults.

Approximately one in three people in the United States between the ages of 65 and 74 has hearing loss, and nearly half of those older than 75 have difficulty hearing. However, presbycusis can affect middle-aged people as well.

What is Presbycusis?

Presbycusis seems to run in families and may occur because of changes in the inner ear and auditory nerve. This affliction may make it hard for a person to tolerate loud sounds or hear what others are saying.

Age-related hearing loss almost always occurs in both ears, affecting them equally. The loss is gradual, so someone with presbycusis may not realize that they have lost some of their ability to hear.

Having trouble hearing can often make it difficult to understand and follow a doctor’s advice and respond to certain warnings, making it challenging to hear phones, doorbells, and smoke alarms. Hearing loss can also make it hard to enjoy talking with family and friends, leading to feelings of depression, anxiety, and isolation.

Causes of Presbycusis

There are many causes of presbycusis. Usually, it arises from changes in the inner ear as we age. However, it can also result from changes in the middle ear or from various changes along the nerve pathways from the ear to the brain. Certain medical conditions and medications may also have a role in presbycusis.

To truly understand presbycusis, we first have to take a look at how we hear. Simply put, sound waves enter the outer ear and travel through a narrow passageway called the ear canal, which then leads to the eardrum.

Next, the eardrum vibrates from the incoming sound waves and sends these vibrations to three tiny bones in the middle ear. These bones are called the malleus, incus, and stapes.

Many factors can contribute to hearing loss as you get older. It may be tough to distinguish age-related hearing loss from hearing loss for other reasons, such as prolonged exposure to noise.

Noise-induced hearing loss is caused by long-term exposure to sounds that are either too loud or last too long. This kind of noise exposure may damage the sensory hair cells in your ear that allow you to hear, leading to hearing loss. These hair cells do not grow back, meaning the hearing loss is non-reversible.

Conditions usually more common in older people, such as high blood pressure or diabetes, may also contribute to hearing loss. Some medications that are toxic to the sensory cells in your can also cause hearing loss.

Also (but a lot more rarely), age-related hearing loss can be caused by abnormalities of the outer ear or middle ear. These abnormalities may include reduced function of the eardrum or reduced function of the three tiny bones in the middle ear that carry sound waves from the tympanic membrane to the inner ear.

Many people who experience hearing loss have a combination of both age-related hearing loss and noise-induced hearing loss.

Prevention is Key

But how do you prevent presbycusis? The first step is protecting your ears from sounds that are too loud and last too long. It’s essential to be aware of potential sources of damaging noises, such as loud music, fireworks, guns, lawnmowers, and leaf blowers. Avoiding loud noises and reducing the amount of time you are exposed to loud noise is an excellent way to protect your hearing.

Also, protecting your ears with earplugs or earmuffs are easy things you can do to protect your hearing and limit the amount of hearing you might lose as you get older.

If you believe you are experiencing hearing loss, it is vital to seek advice from a health care provider. If you live in the Las Vegas area, contact Hearing Associates of Las Vegas today for help with all things hearing-related.