The causes of hearing impairment

In the present world we could notice the increasing cases of hearing impairment. Comprehending the definition of hearing impairment, as per the disabilities Education Act it is “an impairment in hearing, whether permanent, or fluctuating, that adversely affects a child`s educational performance but not included under the definition of «deafness«”. According to World Health Organization over 5% of the world`s population or 466 million people — have hearing impairment (432, 34 million adults and children respectively). It is estimated that by 2050 over 900 million people or one in еvеry ten pеrson is dealing with hеaring impairment. Despite using new methods and modern1 tеchnologiеs, hеaring impairment are among widеly spread disorders and require complex measurements to prevent late detection. This paper would consider causes of hearing impairment and issues related with early identification.
 One of the primary causes of hearing impairment is congenital health conditions.  Congenital causes are characterized by having familial hardness and history. Both Fraser (1971 as cited in Taylor, Nine, & Brasier, 2018) and Brown and Chung (1971 as cited in Taylor, Nine, & Brasier, 2018) consider the importance of  genetic factors among those children where there is no history of disease and familial root. Data reveals that 30% of genetically determined deafness is likely to occur in syndromic and 70% in non-syndromic way (“Deafness and hearing loss,” 2019).  In many cases, congenital factors emerge in non-syndromic way and without signs in familial history. As a result, new approaches are needed to early detection of hearing impairment in order to act in a timely manner.  In addition, complications during pregnancy including maternal rubella, inappropriate use of pharmacy or other certain infections are founded as a potential reason of hearing impairment (WHO, 2019). Other issue is sensorineural hearing loss when infants do not have recommended minimum weight of 1500 grams. Therefore, it is essential to detect exact nature of congenital cause accurately for appointing helpful measures and avoid unpredictable situations.    The further crucial cause is acquired which spread quickly due to improvement of technology. Acquired hearing impairment is a type of health problem which occur after birth, later in life at any time, a disease, a condition, or an injury might be defined as a reason (n.d, ASHA). There are several deep-rooted infections such as otitis, meningitis, measles and mumps which damage outer and middle ear.  Moreover, chronic otitis is a common cause of hearing loss among children (“Deafness and hearing loss,” 2019).  Also, (Boys Town National Research Hospital, n.d.) claims that injury to the ear and head trauma with skull fracture are types of late-onset loss. However, in some cases, hearing loss caused by head injury disappears in two months, if it remains, only after passing one year there is a possibility to make evaluation of the head injury and make final conclusion of hearing loss (Podoshin & Fradis, 1975). With the advancement of new technologies and industrial revolution, individuals are suffered by noise pollution and irrational use of modern devices. World Health Organization findings states  that a) excessive noise, including occupational noise such as that from machinery and explosions, and b) loud sounds that from applying audio devices at high volumes, regular presence at concerts, nightclubs, bars and sport events are typical in modern society and are vital causes for hearing impairment. It is important to note that natural increasing age is also an important factor for hearing loss. Gates and Mills (2005 as cited Yang, Ch.H., Schrepfer, Th., & Schacht, J., 2015) concluded that it is represented by losing reactiveness to external voice, declining capability to hear apparently and comprehend speech in noisy surroundings and defective sound localization.  Early identification is crucial in minimizing consequences of hearing impairment. On average 60% of childhood hearing loss is due to preventable causes (“Deafness and hearing loss,” 2019). Nowadays, medicine workers use cutting edge technology, namely universal newborn hearing screening, for checking probability of hearing loss signs in the first 3 months. Mostly, it is applied in developing economies whereas with the poor economic economies could not afford it, hence, people suffer from late identification due to poor medical service. On the other hand, there is possibility to have a mild or minimal hearing loss at birth, and any type of universal screening program needs to achieve a low false alarm rate or a high “hit” rate (Boys Town National Research Hospital, n.d.). According to these provision, mild hearing losses may not be identified by current universal newborn hearing screening method. Because in some instances, mild and minimal hearing loss do not show any signals at birth and may progress to profound hearing loss later in life. Therefore, the vitality of getting medical checkup after discharging from hospital is rising. Parents` denying checkups and neglect might be real cause for hearing loss in early time. It goes without saying that innovations have become an integral part of medicine and possess enormous impact on effectiveness of treatment and decreasing effect, even though we have to admit parents influence on early identification. This paper raises queries on demanding scrutiny the problem of late detection of mild hearing impairment later in life. New medical approaches and technological developments do not guarantee recovery from hearing impairment and its early detection. Shortage of highly qualified medical assistance and destructive use of technological tools along with natural ageing issues might be contributing factors. It is clear that the quality of medical assistance would be improved in less developed regions in the world with the help of international organizations, and individuals should be more careful in using new devices and it is recommended to avoid noisy polluted places to be able to maintain hearing sensibility despite older age. It is obvious that late identification is required modern technologies while others depend on material assets and individuals` lifestyle.
Reference list American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (n.d). Causes of hearing loss in children: Acquired cause. Retrieved from  https://www.asha.org/public/hearing/Causes-of-Hearing-Loss-in-Children/ 
Boys Town National Research Hospital. (n.d). Beyond Newborn Hearing screening: Recognizing the Signs of Late Onset Hearing Loss in Infants and Young Children. Retrieved from https://www.babyhearing.org/professional-resources/Documents/LateOnsetHearingLoss.pdf
Deafness and hearing loss. (2019, March 20). Retrieved from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/deafness-and-hearing-loss

Podoshin, L & Fradis, M. (1975). Hearing loss after head injury. Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, 101(1), 15-18. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaotolaryngology/article-abstract/605567

Special Education Guide. (n.d). Hearing impairment. Retrieved from https://www.specialeducationguide.com/disability-profiles/hearing-impairments/

Taylor, I.G., Hine, W.D., & Brasier, V.J. (2007). A study of the causes of hearing loss in a population of deaf children with special reference to genetic factors: audiometric examination, 89(9), 899-914. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-laryngology-and-otology/article/study-of-the-causes-of-hearing-loss-in-a-population-of-deaf-children-with-special-reference-to-genetic-factors/65A1E252E9E0167542C8E8AD7064BC42#fndtn-information

Yang, Ch. H., Schrepfer, T., & Schacht, J. (2015). Age-related hearing impairment and the triad of acquired hearing loss. Genetics. 9, 2-5. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4515558/pdf/fncel-09-00276.pdf

By Kairat Mukashev