Exposure to loud noise is the most common cause of cochlea injury, but diseases, health conditions, medications, and aging can also damage the inner ear. Protecting your ears and seeking medical attention for changes in hearing is important.
Perhaps the most common cause of cochlea injury is exposure to loud noise. This can be sudden, such as the sound of an explosion, or continuous, such as the continuous noise experienced by heavy equipment operators, airport personnel, machine shop workers, or soldiers deployed in battle zones. It is important to protect your ears when working in such an environment. Noise damage can also result from frequent exposure to loud music. Understanding how sounds are detected makes it easier to understand how noise-related injuries occur.
The cochlea, located in the inner ear, is the main organ of hearing. It is coiled in a spiral shape and lined with hair cells. These are covered in tiny hair-like structures called cilia.
Sound waves entering the ear cause the eyelashes to swing back and forth, much like sea grass sways with the changing ocean currents. This movement sends signals to the brain via the auditory nerve, which interprets the signals as sound. Eyelashes are easily damaged, causing hair cells to die. The result is hearing loss or a ringing in the ear that can’t be reversed.
Normal aging can lead to gradual and partial hearing loss. This comes from accumulated wear and tear on the lashes, which can become inefficient over time. In later years, high-pitched sounds may become difficult to hear and speech may become difficult to understand. Bent or broken eyelashes might start triggering random signals, which your brain interprets as sound. This causes tinnitus, which is ringing or ringing in the ears.
A large number of diseases can lead to hearing loss, especially when associated with a high fever. Many childhood illnesses, such as measles, mumps, and chicken pox, can permanently damage the inner ear. Vaccinating young children prevents most cases of these diseases.
Bacterial meningitis poses a serious risk of cochlear damage, as does mononucleosis. Hearing loss in young children may not be immediately apparent; in fact, it may not be diagnosed until much after onset. Premature birth, congenital syphilis, and low blood oxygen are all associated with an increased risk of permanent inner ear damage in newborns.
Other health problems could also cause hearing loss. Untreated high blood pressure or cardiovascular disease, for example, can impair blood flow to the inner ear, resulting in cochlear damage. Inner ear tumors, which are common in patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), pose a clear risk of cochlear damage.
Finally, the cochlea can also be damaged by certain drug regimens. For example, high doses of aspirin or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may be associated with acute cochlear injury. Other commonly used medications sometimes associated with hearing loss include antibiotics, antihistamines, anticonvulsants, antidepressants, and antipsychotics.
The inner ear is prone to injury from a wide range of potential insults. These aren’t limited to loud noises, but include many common diseases, health conditions, and medications. It is impossible to predict what could be dangerous for a specific individual. For this reason, changes in hearing should always be reported to a healthcare professional.
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