ENT Head & Neck Surgery Center

Rm 02, 5/F., Kai Seng Commerical Centre,
4-6 Hankow Road, TST Kln, HK
(near Kowloon Hotel)
Tel: (852) 3100 0555
Fax: (852) 3100 0556

Lawrence Chow / ENT Doctor

causes of difficulties in hearing

The Most Common Causes of Difficulties in Hearing

As time flies, you may notice that you’re not able to hear as well as you used to. Perhaps you’ve noticed that your TV volume is now higher than it used to be. Maybe you’re often not able to understand what people are saying and you keep asking them to speak up.

When that happens to you, here are some possible causes (and fixes):

 

Earwax

It’s ironic that when you clean your ears with cotton swabs, you may end up pushing earwax deeper into your ear. This can lead to a wax buildup known as cerumen impaction that can make it more difficult for you to hear. Even earplugs and hearing aids can cause this problem.

You can solve it with a few drops of baby oil into your ear. The baby oil softens the wax to help clear it out. You can also use hydrogen peroxide, glycerin, or mineral oil.

Your doctor can also just put in a mixture of water and hydrogen peroxide to flush out the ear wax. Other specialized tools may be used to remove the wax as well.

 

You’re Getting Old

Age-related hearing loss is known as presbycusis and it’s actually quite common among senior citizens. About a third of all people between the ages of 65 and 74 have it. Among those over 75, almost half have this problem.

The most common reason for this is simply that the inner-ear structures which allow people to hear wear down, just any other body part. If you’re at that age, you can have your problem tested at the doctor’s clinic so that you can learn how to manage your condition.

 

Medications

There are at least 200 different medications that can cause hearing loss. These include chemotherapy drugs as well as some types of antibiotics. Even high doses of aspirin can lead to difficulties in hearing. Usually, when you stop taking these medications, the problem goes away as well.

 

Medical Conditions

There are certain medical conditions which may have hearing loss as one of their symptoms. These conditions include diabetes and high blood pressure. They can interfere with the blood supply to the ear, leading to the hearing difficulties.

 

Long-Term Exposure to Noise

If you exposed to loud noises for an extended period of time, then eventually you may lose some of your hearing. Your job may include working with loud drills, or you may work near loud airplane engines. If you’re shooting instructor, you may have this problem as well. The same goes for those who work in the hard rock music industry, or if you enjoy cranking the music up high.

 

If you wonder if you have difficulties in hearing, it is suggested to consult an ENT doctor for the appropriate ENT services as soon as possible. HK ENT Specialist Ltd. is a professional Hong Kong based ENT clinic centre to offer ENT Services. Please contact us for an appointment at 3100 0555.

 

 

Source:

HK ENT Specialist Ltd.

Hong Kong based ENT clinic centre

For ENT Services, Audiology & Speech Therapy,

Sleep Disordered Breathing Management,

Hearing Aid Prescription & Medical Cosmetic Services

https://www.hkentspecialist.hk

註: 本站無論中文繁體,中文簡體和英文內容所提及的疾病和治療方法僅供讀者參考,並不代表本站推薦該種療法,亦不能代替專業醫生診治,讀者如有需要,應該尋求專業醫生意見或聯絡香港耳鼻喉專科。

另所有文章內使用的人名均為化名。