2023-09-20 22:12:48
5% of the world’s population lives with some hearing disability (such as deafness), according to data provided by the World Health Organization (WHO). This translates into 466 million people, of which 34 million are boys and girls.
On the planet, 1 in 10 people will live with hearing loss by the year 2050 if the necessary prevention measures are not taken and this will affect 900 million people. The WHO also estimates that neglected cases of hearing loss represent an annual cost of $750 billion.
In Mexico more than 2.3 million people suffer from deafness
Regarding Mexico, around 2.3 million people suffer from hearing disabilities. Of this figure, 50 percent are over 60 years old; Just over 30 percent are between 30 and 59 years old and about 2 percent are boys and girls.
The Ministry of Health, through its medical units, provides preventive, diagnostic and comprehensive specialized care services for any hearing impairment, as well as rehabilitation to improve communication and social integration of people living with deafness.
The INR is a highly specialized unit in hearing care
One of the highly specialized units in hearing care is the National Rehabilitation Institute (INR) “Luis Guillermo Ibarra Ibarra”, which is the medical center that has the largest area in hearing health care and communication problems, in addition to the human communication therapy service for rehabilitation.
Francisco Alfredo Luna Reyes, head of the Division of Audiology and Otoneurology at the INR, explained that, “during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, at least 967 patients were evaluated for the first time, of which 37 presented related hearing damage. with COVID-19. In this institute, before the pandemic, approximately 6,000 people were treated for the first time each year for problems related to deafness.”
Family history of deafness, advanced age, exposure to intense sounds or loud music are the main causes of hearing problems. Other risk factors are systemic arterial hypertension, viral infectious diseases such as chickenpox, rubella or measles, diabetes mellitus, use of some medications, middle ear infections and head trauma.
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