Hearing loss has become an increasing concern in our world of electronic listening devices. While a substantial number of those living with hearing loss have such deficits due to a genetic predisposition or a history of a severe infection or advanced age, over one billion individuals worldwide are at risk for developing noise-induced hearing loss. As the pandemic times meant more time on devices and more time with personal headphones, the volume has gone up, and the daily duration of exposure to loud sounds has soared. Dr. Jodi Sasaki-Miraglia, audiologist and Director of Professional Education at Widex Hearing Aids, notes that “many young adults could avoid noise-induced hearing loss if they had access to educational tools around healthy hearing habits.” In addition, she stated that the World Health Organization estimates “over 2.5 billion people will have hearing loss” by 2050.
The World Health Organization (W.H.O) has declared March 3, 2022 “World Hearing Day,” with the motto “To hear for life, listen with care.” The emphasis this year on safe listening is based on increased recognition of noise-induced hearing loss, whereby either prolonged exposure to loud sounds or even brief exposure to extremely loud sounds can lead to irreversible severe to profound hearing loss. While obvious sources of such damage include exposure to loud machinery in factories, jet engine exposure to those working on tarmacs, loud rock concerts, fireworks, and gunfire, we are more commonly seeing noise-induced hearing loss due to prolonged headphone use from personal listening devices.
Those especially susceptible to noise-induced hearing loss are teens, as their use of personal listening devices, reaching a peak during the darkest months of the pandemic, has continued to increase over time. Dr. Alison Grimes, Director of Audiology and Newborn Screening and Assistant Clinical Professor at UCLA Health, notes “I believe that national statistics bear out that hearing loss is not uncommon in the late teens. Correlation doesn’t imply causation, of course, and there are plenty of noise sources including loud cars, motorcycles, firearms, the ubiquitous AirPods, and now hearing aids that stream not only speech but music directly from a smart-phone.” That’s right, folks who wear hearing aids can use these same devices as ear buds to stream music, speak on the phone, or listen to podcasts or audiobooks directly through their hearing aids.
Noise induced hearing loss is experienced in approximately 1.7% of the world’s population. It is often under-recognized as an occupational hazard, as it tends to not be associated with issues such as pain, debility, lost days of work, or even subjective complaints. However, it can have significant impact on quality of life and social interactions, leading to increased isolation and even depression. A recently published study, where data was collected prior to the astronomical rise of personal listening device use during the Covid-19 pandemic, looked at headphone use and hearing loss in a group of over 500 adolescents. The review found that adolescents who used earphones in a noisy environment had a 4.5-fold higher risk of hearing loss and an 8.4 times higher risk of having a subjective hearing problem than those who did not use earphones.
Dr. Sasaki-Miraglia notes that “the pandemic forced everyone to be home more, playing video games, watching TV or streaming content for long hours at louder levels. Our ears need a break, and turning [devices] down will always help reduce the risk for noise-induced hearing loss [at any age].”
Thankfully, most hearing loss in children is discovered in the first few months of life. In the U.S., nearly every state requires newborns to be screened for hearing loss before they leave the hospital, usually in the first one to two days of life. This was instituted in the many states nearly thirty years ago. As up to 1 in 300 healthy newborns may have some degree of hearing loss, it is the most common congenital variation found in newborns. Even hearing loss in one ear can be cause for concern. Dr. Brian Taylor, Doctor of Audiology and Senior Director of Audiology at Signia Hearing Aids, notes that “ the human brain is designed to pick up sounds from both sides of your head and environment. Even mild hearing loss in one ear can result in difficulties localizing the important sounds around you.”
Worldwide, Dr. Taylor notes that “in 41 nations, or 38% of the world’s population, over 85% of newborns are screened for hearing loss.” He goes on to report that “the average age at diagnosis of hearing disorders was 4.6 months in screened children and 34.9 months for non-screened children.” Newborn hearing loss, even if single-sided and even if mild, needs to be addressed and treated early. Infants can receive hearing aids in the first three months of life, and other early interventions such as speech and language services or training of parents in sign language need to begin in early infancy. Those infants who receive such interventions early are much less likely to go on to develop speech and language deficits or social and academic challenges than those whose diagnosis is delayed until later in childhood.
As for Covid-19’s impact on hearing loss, the data has been mixed. Sudden hearing loss can occur in one or both ears, more often in adults than in children, and is often related to a viral infection such as one from a herpesvirus. In many situations, no known cause is found, and the term ‘idiopathic’ is used to describe episodes of sudden hearing loss with no known cause. A recent review published in JAMA Otolaryngology assessed the concern for association between Covid-19 vaccination and onset of sudden hearing loss. The authors reviewed the CDC’s VAERS (Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System) for reports of hearing loss following vaccination against Covid-19 and found no increased association compared with sudden hearing loss reported in the general population.
Dr. Taylor states that “sudden hearing loss is rarely a symptom of coronavirus [infections]...during the active infection process.” However, what may be more common is “developing hearing loss, tinnitus, or dizziness later in the infection process.”
Regardless of cause and regardless of age, recognition of hearing loss, understanding means for hearing preservation, as well as initiating hearing screening protocols and interventions, are critical. Dr. Taylor emphasizes that “untreated hearing loss has several negative consequences on health-related outcomes such as mental acuity and motivation to socialize.” According to Dr. Sasaki-Miraglia, “it’s a lot harder to treat hearing and listening challenges the longer you wait to address them...The ‘old’ way was to wait until your hearing got bad enough to address it. We know now that is not a good idea for your health.”
