Are Portable Music Players Associated With Hearing Loss in Children?

JAMA: The effect of portable music players on the hearing of children is unclear. A new study found that about 1 in 7 children (9 to 11 years of age) showed signs of noise-induced hearing impairment, prior to exposure to known noise hazards such as club and concert attendance. Portable music players, used by 40 percent of 2,075 children in the study from the Netherlands, were associated with high-frequency hearing loss. Repeated measurements are needed to confirm this association.

Model approach for over-the-counter hearing aids suggests benefits similar to full-service purchase

NIH: Can over-the-counter hearing aids for older adults with mild-to-moderate hearing loss work as well as hearing aids purchased through an audiologist? In a new study, participants who selected pre-programmed hearing aids using an over-the-counter delivery model reported a similar level of benefit as participants who purchased the same hearing aids through an audiologist following best practices. The audiology services included fitting the hearing aids and counseling the consumers on how to use them. The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), part of the National Institutes of Health, supported the study, which is published in the March 2 American Journal of Audiology.

U.S. adults aged 20 to 69 years show signs of noise-induced hearing loss

NIH: A new analysis from a nationally representative health interview and examination survey found that nearly one in four (24 percent) of U.S. adults aged 20 to 69 years has features of his or her hearing test in one or both ears that suggest noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). These findings, from the 2011-2012 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), were published February 7 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the CDC’s Vital Signs report. The research was conducted by the CDC with support from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Balloon offers relief from chronic eustachian tube dysfunction

Duke: Inserting a small, balloon-like device in a blocked eustachian tube may bring lasting relief to the millions of children and adults who suffer from chronic eustachian tube dysfunction each year. Duke ear nose and throat doctors – the first and only otolaryngologists in North Carolina using the newly approved Aera system – say it has the potential to significantly reduce the need for ear tubes and other ear surgeries.

Iron Deficiency Anemia Associated With Hearing Loss

JAMA: In a study published online by JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Kathleen M. Schieffer, B.S., of the Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, Pa., and colleagues examined the association between sensorineural hearing loss and conductive hearing loss and iron deficiency anemia in adults ages 21 to 90 years in the United States.  In 2014, approximately 15 percent of adults reported difficulty with hearing. Because iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is a common and easily correctable condition, further understanding of the association between IDA and all types of hearing loss may help to open new possibilities for early identification and appropriate treatment.

Hearing Loss Linked To Increased Depression and Dementia Risk: Interview with Frank Robert Lin, M.D.

MedicalResearch: Is there a link between hearing loss and the risk of developing dementia?

Response: In the last few years, we have investigated the link between hearing loss and dementia in large studies of older adults who have been followed for many years. In these studies, we and others have found that those with greater hearing loss have a higher risk of developing dementia even after we account for factors like age, education, medical comorbidities, etc. We think this is because there are some pathways through which hearing loss can directly affect our thinking and memory abilities

It's Not Your Ears, It's Your Brain

University of Maryland : "Could you repeat that?" The reason you may have to say something twice when talking to older family members at Thanksgiving dinner may not be because of their hearing. Researchers at the University of Maryland have determined that something is going on in the brains of typical older adults that causes them to struggle to follow speech amidst background noise, even when their hearing would be considered normal on a clinical assessment.

Research aims to improve access to music for people using hearing aids

Leeds: Beethoven composed some of his most famous works after he became profoundly deaf. More recently, musicians such as Ozzy Osbourne and Phil Collins have encountered problems with their hearing. Tinnitus affects many more, from Eric Clapton and Neil Young to will.i.am. Now a collaborative project between the University of Leeds and Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is bringing together music psychologist Dr Alinka Greasley and Dr Harriet Crook, to investigate how music listening experiences are affected by deafness, hearing impairments and the use of hearing aids.

Sign language glossary reaches new heights

Edinburgh: A vocabulary of sign language which is to revolutionise how science is taught to deaf children has reached a milestone today with its thousandth sign. The sign language for ‘fireball’ is the thousandth term to be added to a website compiled by experts for use by teachers, interpreters and pupils. The glossary has been developed to meet demand from deaf pupils and teachers for a wider scientific vocabulary in British Sign Language. The resource means that a simple words such as ‘fireball’ can be communicated with a single sign rather than spelling it out letter by letter. Users can access on-line video clips of the terms and definitions in sign which will help pupils studying astronomy, biology, chemistry, physics maths and soon Geography.

Cochlear Implantation Improve Speech Perception and Cognitive Function in Older Adults

JAMA: Cochlear implantation was associated with improved speech perception and cognitive function in adults 65 years or older with profound hearing loss, according to a report published online by JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery.

How training the brain could be used to improve hearing loss

A Nottingham study that demonstrated how training the brain could be used to improve listening and cognition in people with hearing loss is to receive international recognition.

Does chemical exposure in the workplace affect hearing?

Queensland University. Australia: With one in six Australians recording some form of auditory loss, a new study by The University of Queensland is examining how exposure to chemicals in the workplace can affect employee hearing. Led by Dr Adrian Fuente of the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, the study aims to identify the most effective hearing tests to detect problems caused by chemical exposure, and the safe levels of exposure to maintain healthy hearing at work.

1.1 billion people at risk of hearing loss

WHO highlights serious threat posed by exposure to recreational noise. Some 1.1 billion teenagers and young adults are at risk of hearing loss due to the unsafe use of personal audio devices, including smartphones, and exposure to damaging levels of sound at noisy entertainment venues such as nightclubs, bars and sporting events, according to WHO. Hearing loss has potentially devastating consequences for physical and mental health, education and employment.

Secrets of the Inner Ear

Virginia University. US: UVA Unlocks Pitch-Detection Secrets of the Inner Ear. Discovery May Point to Way to Restore Hearing Loss Caused by Sound, Age.

UC audiologist studying ringing in people's ears

University of Canterbury. New Zealand: A University of Canterbury clinical audiologist is investigating treatments and training approaches to help improve management of hearing loss and tinnitus, which is a ringing in people’s ears. Dr Kim Wise has just has recently joined the University’s Department of Communication Disorders as a lecturer and says that clinically, one of the most pressing issues is meeting the need of New Zealanders requiring hearing and tinnitus consultation, management and support.  Internationally, about 10 to 15 percent of adults face chronic tinnitus—the perception of noise or sounds in the ears or head often described as ringing, buzzing or hissing without an external cause.

When Granny tunes out. Optimising hearing aids

Ruhr University. Germany: Almost everyone has a relative who is bound to lose the thread during family get-togethers and who “tunes out” from the conversation: between 13 and 15 percent of people in Germany are hard of hearing. In a large group, surrounded by many noise sources, with background noises such as traffic or echoes, for example on the staircase or in a church, the affected parties find it particularly difficult to follow the conversation. Hearing aids can help, but only within a limited scope. By amplifying sound so that the wearer can hear it, they amplify both wanted and unwanted sound. The background noise and echoes mentioned above present a problem.

Researchers to Report Progress on Video Game Aimed at Veterans with Hearing Loss

UCR. US: A video game Wisp that guides players through a dark cave may lead combat veterans suffering blast wave damage to better hearing. The innovative brain-training game under development at the University of California, Riverside will begin testing on university students this month, and may be ready for testing on veterans this summer.

Cochlear Implant Users Can Hear, Feel the Beat in Music

Georgetown University. US: People who use cochlear implants for profound hearing loss do respond to certain aspects of music, contrary to common beliefs and limited scientific research, says a research team headed by an investigator at Georgetown University Medical Center. The scientists say exposure to the beat in music, such as drums, can improve the emotional and social quality-of-life of cochlear implant users and may even help improve their understanding and use of spoken language.

New version of common antibiotic could eliminate risk of hearing loss, study finds

Washington University. US: A study in mice has found that a commonly used antibiotic can be modified to eliminate the risk that it will cause hearing loss.

Acoustic neuroma

Acoustic neuroma (vestibular schwannoma) is a rare tumor that develops on the nerve that connects the ear to the brain. It can be benign, small, slow growing and with no symptoms or large, faster growing and aggressive and potentially fatal, presenting with symptoms of hearing and balance impairment, vertigo, ataxia, headache, numbness or paralysis of the face. Symptoms can include:

• Loss of hearing on one side
• Ringing in ears
• Dizziness and balance problems

Ear exams, hearing tests, and scans can show if you have acoustic neuroma.
If the tumor stays small, you may only need to have it checked regularly. If you do need treatment, surgery and radiation are options.
If the tumors affect both hearing nerves, it is often because of a genetic disorder called neurofibromatosis.
More about acoustic neuroma