2023-09-19 18:00:13
The WHO states that there are 430 million people in the world with disabling hearing loss.
By 2050, it is estimated that at least 700 million individuals will have problems hearing clearly.
The hearing test should not only be performed at birth but there are six other times in life when it is recommended to undergo one.
Listening to what is happening around you is an experience that seems everyday but each person experiences it in a different way. With this in mind, to identify possible ear failures in time it is necessary to undergo a hearing test. It is the ideal test to identify faults and there are seven basic moments in life when it is recommended to undergo one.
Deafness problems in the world
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) More than 5% of the global population (430 million people) suffer from disabling hearing loss and requires rehabilitation (432 million adults and 34 million children). Although the most serious thing is that it is estimated that by 2050 the number will be greater than 700 million individuals.
For its part, the term “disabling hearing loss” refers to people with a deficiency greater than 35 decibels (dB) in the ear that hears better. The prevalence of this condition increases as a person ages. In fact, among those over 60 years of age it is estimated that more than 25% suffer from it.
Given this panorama, the Dr. Gonzalo Corvera, who is director of Mexican Institute of Otology and Neurotology SC (IMON)shared the exact times when absolutely everyone should undergo a hearing test.
At birth (Neonatal hearing screening)
Between two and three of every thousand children born have severe to profound hearing loss at birth. It is a statistic that tends to be quite consistent throughout the world, and has also been corroborated in Mexico. This, regardless of complications at birth that increase the risk, is a figure that occurs in perfectly healthy children with no family history of deafness.
We also know that children born with this disability must begin treatment before turning 3 months of age. That is why the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that all children have a hearing test before they are one month old, and the best time to do it is in the first hours of birth.
When entering primary school
One of the main causes of decreased hearing ability is serous otitis media, which has a peak incidence around 7 years of age. In addition, there are hearing problems that are not captured by the neonatal hearing screen and can be detected at this age. A child who enters primary school with difficulty hearing will have many more difficulties in learning.
When there are language or school achievement problems
Whenever a child is slow to speak compared to others of the same age or has attention or school achievement problems, his or her hearing should be evaluated. This should be done even if the child does not appear to have hearing problems, since there are partial hearing conditions that are very difficult to detect without a precise study.
Upon finishing high school
It is rare for hearing problems to appear during adolescence, but in any case it is necessary to have a hearing test. In this way it is possible to identify diseases from their first manifestations to choose the best alternative for each case.
When you turn 45 years old
We all lose hearing over the years, although in some people the damage is greater than in others. Generally this begins to be clinically significant around 40-50 years of age.
In an analysis of more than 6,000 audiometric studies carried out at the Mexican Institute of Otology and Neurology SC, in people between 40 and 50 years of age who attended a general check-up and did not complain of hearing problems, the institution found that among the Ages 45 and 50 are when the average person had a result below normal in at least one frequency.
Based on the above, it can be considered that turning 45 is the ideal time to go for check-ups for possible hearing problems, even if they are not yet noticeable.
When you turn 60
In the same study mentioned above, IMON found that it is between 60 and 64 years of age when the average patient presents a loss classifiable as “average” in at least one frequency. That would tell us the moment when it may be most important to do something. Furthermore, starting at age 60 is when the risk of dementia in people with hearing loss increases significantly.
Whenever there are doubts
Care should never be delayed when hearing loss occurs. There are sudden losses in which the prognosis is radically better if they are treated in the first 48 hours. Children can see their learning affected in a few months and both babies and older adults can suffer irremediable consequences if they do not attend to a hearing loss in a timely manner.
Also read:
Tinnitus, a hearing health problem that is increasing in the world
Childhood deafness: A growing health problem in Mexico
Congenital deafness, what is it, causes and how should it be treated?
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