When people talk about deafness or deafness, they are usually talking about an extreme form of hearing loss or the complete loss of hearing or the sense of hearing. In this case, the affected person hears nothing at all or only very little. Sometimes sounds are perceived, but the language or meaning of the sounds remains hidden to the deaf person. Deafness can be relieved with the help of hearing aids or by learning sign language. Unfortunately, a complete cure for deafness (deafness) has not yet been achieved to the current state of medical research.
What is deafness?
Hearing aids come in a variety of designs. The most common models are usually analog behind-the-ear devices. Hearing loss and hearing impairment can be compensated with them. They make everyday life much easier for hearing-impaired people. In Germany, about 0.1 percent (80,000 people) of the population are deaf. Deafness (hearing loss) occurs when sounds and tones are not perceived or are perceived only to a very limited extent. The sounds enter the ear, but the hearing organ cannot process or transmit them. Hearing loss, on the other hand, is defined as reduced hearing ability. Hearing loss as well as deafness (deafness) can affect one or both ears. In medicine, a distinction is made between absolute and practical deafness (deafness). In the first form, the affected person basically does not hear any sound. If, on the other hand, there is practical deafness, the patients still perceive individual sounds, but can no longer understand speech. Furthermore, deafness is divided into congenital and acquired deafness. With regard to acquired deafness, physicians again distinguish between the prelingual and the postlingual form. In the latter, deafness (deafness) occurs after language development has occurred. Because deaf people cannot perceive sounds, they are not able to react accordingly. This makes communication with the speaking and hearing environment much more difficult. In addition, hearing is a basic prerequisite for language acquisition. Speech and language disorders occur very often in deaf people and usually affect their professional life and social contacts.
Causes
Deafness (deafness) can result from congenital or acquired damage. Congenital hearing impairment is usually hereditary or caused by certain influences during pregnancy. The most common triggering factors of acquired deafness (deafness) include ear infections caused by Lyme disease, meningitis and otitis media, and mumps. However, hemorrhages or injuries in the inner ear can also lead to severe hearing impairment. In addition, craniocerebral trauma can cause deafness (hearing loss). Inherited deafness (deafness) is relatively rare. About five percent of deaf people are children of parents who are also deaf. However, congenital deafness (deafness) can be caused by damage to the unborn child already in the womb. This is the case, for example, due to infections such as rubella, as well as alcohol, drug and nicotine consumption during pregnancy. Ultimately, a lack of oxygen or trauma during birth can also be responsible for hearing damage or deafness (deafness).
Symptoms, complaints, and signs
Deafness can be present at any age. In some people, it is present at birth; others lose their sense of hearing during their lifetime. Deafness can be unilateral or bilateral. Complaints are most apparent in the communicative and social areas. Bilateral deafness excludes the perception of ambient sounds. Affected persons do not react as expected, which makes life in their environment more difficult. Social contacts can only be established with difficulty, professional opportunities are limited. If bilateral deafness has existed since birth, speech development is usually also impaired. Affected persons do not hear themselves and can therefore form syllables only insufficiently. In addition, complete deafness is not infrequently associated with attacks of vertigo. Some patients also complain of malformations of the eyes, kidneys and bones. On the other hand, unilateral deafness leads to a comparatively mild hearing impairment. In this case, only the left or right ear is unable to perceive sounds. Affected persons can only insufficiently block out background noise during a conversation.They also have difficulty understanding conversations near the deaf ear. Distances, such as to a moving car, are difficult to estimate with unilateral deafness.
Complications
Deafness can lead to complications in rare cases and in very different ways. For example, acquired deafness in particular – as with all acquired sensory loss – can lead to depression in those affected, as the new situation leaves them feeling helpless, angry, or sad. The same applies to an occurring difficult communication with people who have no knowledge of sign language. In addition, the risk of accidents is often increased for deaf people. This is especially true for busy roads and similar situations. Accordingly, precautionary measures are more relevant in everyday life. It is possible for an inserted cochlear implant to cause undesirable side effects during insertion or beyond. The surgery carries small risks of damaging the auditory nerve (and thus, in the broadest sense, the gustatory nerve), can leave wounds that become infected, can lead to meningitis, or can be a permanent tinnitus trigger for affected individuals. Surgeries to correct causative tissue damage also carry the usual risks for complications. These may be operations on the auditory ossicles or the auditory canal. Otherwise, other complications are dependent on possible underlying diseases (spreading otitis media) and must be considered on an individual basis.
When should you go to the doctor?
If parents, relatives or guardians notice that their offspring do not react at all or only with a delay to sounds in the environment, a doctor should be consulted immediately. It is particularly worrying if loud noises do not have any effect on the person concerned. Behavioral abnormalities, physical reactions of the child only on visual contact, and unusual vocalization should be investigated and treated. These are signs of an existing health impairment that should be clarified. If, in the course of life, a decrease in the usual hearing ability occurs, this is also a sign of an irregularity that must be investigated as soon as possible. A decrease in hearing ability should be understood as a warning signal from the organism. A doctor is needed to clarify the cause and to counteract long-term disorders in time. If suddenly and abruptly familiar sounds of the environment can no longer be perceived, a visit to the doctor is necessary. Investigations should be made immediately so that a diagnosis can be made and then a treatment plan can be established. If further complaints and irregularities occur with an already diagnosed deafness, there is also a need for action. In the case of emotional and mental problems, in many cases the affected person needs help to better cope with the disease in everyday life.
Treatment and therapy
Without appropriate therapy, deafness (deafness) will not improve. Especially in the congenital form or profound hearing loss, early diagnosis and treatment has a positive effect on language development. For children, early intervention in the form of speech and language education and attendance at special schools for the deaf is the main focus. The goal of therapy is basically to improve the patient’s abilities in everyday life. Specially adapted hearing aids are used if there is still some residual hearing capacity. In cases of severe hearing loss or complete deafness (deafness), a cochlear implant can be used to replace the hearing function. If therapy is not possible either through hearing aids or surgical measures, patients must learn to live with the diagnosis of deafness (deafness). This involves learning other ways of communicating, such as lip reading or sign language.
Prevention
Hereditary deafness and deafness can basically not be prevented. However, some of the triggering factors can be avoided by appropriate prevention. In addition, pregnant women can take various measures and protect the child’s hearing from damaging influences. Risk factors such as viral infections can be eliminated through protective vaccinations.Another essential aspect of prevention is to avoid exposure to high levels of noise. Hearing protection can help here. Especially during pregnancy, certain medications, alcohol and nicotine should be avoided. Finally, it is recommended in case of ear infections and hearing disorders to immediately consult a doctor to prevent deafness (deafness).
Aftercare
The form of aftercare for deafness depends on how and at what time the affected person lost his or her hearing. A distinction is made between congenital and acquired deafness. In the first case, the patient is born without hearing and grows up with the limitation. In this case, aftercare is a constant accompaniment, usually well into adulthood. In the second case, the patient becomes deaf as a result of an accident, an incorrect operation on the ear or other external influences. Here, aftercare is particularly indicated. The deaf person must learn from scratch how to deal with the loss of senses. This can be emotionally stressful for the deaf person as well as for close relatives. As in the case of congenital deafness, aftercare in the case of acquired deafness also becomes a permanent companion: the affected person will have questions about dealing with everyday deafness, especially in the beginning. Here, a specialist or a special counseling center can provide professional support. Parallel visits to self-help groups provide an opportunity for exchange with other deaf people. In case of additional emotional stress, a psychotherapist should be consulted. This will stabilize the mental well-being of the affected person. Depression can be prevented in this way.
What you can do yourself
Deafness is a massive form of hearing loss that can often be managed much better by those affected with self-help in everyday life. The measures depend on the patient and his or her needs or conditions. Self-help is best discussed with the treating ENT physician or an experienced hearing aid acoustician. Going to a self-help group for people with hearing impairments up to and including deafness can also be very useful in many cases. The exchange with affected people regarding their experiences with a lack of hearing and the tips of the other participants are often valuable for the practical and also psychological coping with the disease. Those affected are often understood more here than by their own relatives. In everyday life, the self-help around the hearing impairment can be very practical. This begins with the picture telephone with sign language and goes over the light alarm clock up to the information of family, friends, neighbors and colleagues. These need to know that an affected person must not be addressed from behind and that communication should be clearly articulated so that lips can be read. The psychological impairment caused by a hearing impairment must not be neglected in self-help. In coping, it is especially important to stabilize social contacts.
