How Sad Is This — One in Seven Children Have Hearing Damage

[Reinier]

Just read that a university in Holland found that one in seven children have hearing damage.
Age group 9-11 years old.

11% of the 3000 children say they experience tinnitus and/or distorted hearing and/or hyperacusis.
They are getting at an age where they soon want to go to more music festivals etc...

I wonder if the hearing tests conducted are the standard hearing tests. If so, the group of children with hearing damage will be even larger. So much is not detected with the standard hearing test. Unfortunately no information about how the damage was detected.

This link is for people that can read Dutch. https://www.nu.nl/gezondheid/5314052/zeven-jonge-kinderen-heeft-gehoorschade-lawaai.html

 

[TheDanishGirl]

Very sad and all the more reason to find a treatment/cure. This is a problem that will only grow I think.....not just due to loud noise, but also stress, A LOT of people are stressed in today society, and as we all know on this forum, this can actually lead to hearing loss and/or tinnitus.

 

[Contrast]

the more people that damage their hearing the closer we get to a cure for tinnitus and hearing loss.

this comment is insensitive but true.

 

[John_415]

Im from Holland, interesting post.
Yeah figaratively speaking the fossets are running but knowbody knows how to mop it up.

If we where just able to create a law stating earphones should be limited to 85 db max. and not go to 130db... just because they can.
Il stick with my volume limited earplugs for life at the very least.

 

[John_415]

the more people that damage their hearing the closer we get to a cure for tinnitus and hearing loss.

this comment is insensitive but true.

Well perhaps some of them will grow up to be very good ENT doctors.

 

[Reinier]

this comment is insensitive but true.

I think that too. (Not about the insensitive part (-.
Research is getting more relevant all the time with the growing number of people getting hearing issues.
I just did not realise that the numbers are so high in young people.
I am convinced that damage in the cochlea is cumulative (like ordinary wear and tear).
I read about many people on this forum start having problems at an age above approximately 40.
So when you start having problems at such a young age, it will be so much more problematic lets say ten years later.

 

[Contrast]

I think that too. (Not about the insensitive part (-.
Research is getting more relevant all the time with the growing number of people getting hearing issues.
I just did not realise that the numbers are so high in young people.
I am convinced that damage in the cochlea is cumulative (like ordinary wear and tear).
I read about many people on this forum start having problems at an age above approximately 40.
So when you start having problems at such a young age, it will be so much more problematic lets say ten years later.

it's unfair that nature only gives us 1 set of cochlear hair cells expected to last a life time in an age of loud noise exposure.

This science is only making humans suited for the modern world better.

 

[Reinier]

Yes evolution apparently did not work to our advantage in the inner ear. Perhaps one day science is able to explain the reason why mammals lost the ability to regenerate hair cells.

 

[Niel S.]

Nowadays i think it's easier to have tinnitus or hearing damage because it has become very common to use earbuds/headphones for younger generations.

 

[Reinier]

I still don't understand exactly. After all, my generation and generation before had Discman.
I remember many years ago people with head phones and in-ear phones in all the time. The warnings about playing sound to loud for extended time with headphones are 10-20 ore even more years old.

 

[Contrast]

Yes evolution apparently did not work to our advantage in the inner ear. Perhaps one day science is able to explain the reason why mammals lost the ability to regenerate hair cells.

I remember seeing a video by Aron Ra that explained a point in evolutionary history near the Jurrasic period when mammals began to develop better hearing and more advance cochleas. Perhaps mammals made a trade off between superior hearing from reptiles in exchange for lack of regeneration.

Maybe primitive mammals during the times of the dinosaurs had the ability. That's fascinating to think about.

 

[Contrast]

Yes evolution apparently did not work to our advantage in the inner ear. Perhaps one day science is able to explain the reason why mammals lost the ability to regenerate hair cells.

I don't think a fossilized cochlea of a Jurassic mammal with intact hair cells is ever going to show up in the fossil record, lol. Scientist can only make logical hypothesis, maybe test primitive oddball mammals like platypus to see if they can regenerate hair cells. That would be interesting.

 

[Reinier]

when mammals began to develop better hearing and more advance cochleas.

Is this when outer row hair-cells came into the picture?
After all, I read that outer hair-cells give us at least 50 dB more sensitive hearing.
Perhaps because of this evolutional change, regeneration of outer hair cells could therefore even be more difficult.
(Like you also pointed out (-)

 

[Contrast]

Is this when outer row hair-cells came into the picture?
After all, I read that outer hair-cells give us at least 50 dB more sensitive hearing.
Perhaps because of this evolutional change, regeneration of outer hair cells could therefore even be more difficult.
(Like you also pointed out (-)

I never said anything about outer hair cells being more difficult, i don't know. but if they lack progenitor cells then yes.

 

[Reinier]

i never said anything about outer hair cells being more difficult

I realise that. What I meant was that regeneration in general could be more difficult because of the more complex cochleas. Not specifically outer hair-cells.

 

[Taylorslay]

People are beginning to realize that noise induced hearing loss is a real problem and it not only effects the elderly but the youth.

 

[robHing]

For the young generation and all mankind, it is IMPORTANT to develop new medicine
or stem cell treatment of tinnitus.

Promising Tinnitus Research Development:
One promising development in tinnitus research is drug therapy. Biomedical research funded by Action on Hearing Loss is already being tested in clinical trials. Experts are hopeful that this may lead to a marketable drug treatment by the year 2020.

A separate study has shown electromagnetic treatments to be a viable method for treating tinnitus. Originally developed as a treatment for Parkinson's Disease, magnetic and current stimulation was also shown to reduce tinnitus symptoms. The American Tinnitus Association (ATA) is exploring both non-invasive and surgical stimulation methods.

 

[attheedgeofscience]

The study is also referenced in non-Dutch media – here is one example. The link to journal publication itself (which the various articles are based on) can be found here. The study notes in the conclusion that the observed hearing loss trend in 9-11 y/o is worrying as the subject participants were not even at the age when hazardous noise exposure from concerts and clubs had begun. Put another way: the problem is only going to get worse...

 

[daiso]

Sadly for normal people, hearing loss is mostly brushed off as a an eventual outcome as one ages, and if teens or kids incur hearing loss, it wouldn't be considered a big deal, just something that comes sooner. That is why people keep hearing to loud music even though they are well aware of hearing loss as an outcome. Disastrously, this is one of the most stupid design in nature that the symptom T far outweighs the severity of the underlying condition. Only parents with T will take this seriously with their children.

 

[Manny]

the more people that damage their hearing the closer we get to a cure for tinnitus and hearing loss.

this comment is insensitive but true.

I totally agree.
I'm genuinely embarrassed to be so heartless, but honestly, although I definitely feel bad for these children, at the same time I'm also glad when I see this statistic. I'm sorry, I'm selfish! I just think that something like this might maybe, just maybe move ENTs and the medical community out of the whole 8 kHz and TRT/get used to it b.s., into whole-hearted actual regeneration research for a CURE, not to mention stronger noise legislation to prevent the problem in the first place!!

 

[Contrast]

I totally agree.
I'm genuinely embarrassed to be so heartless, but honestly, although I definitely feel bad for these children, at the same time I'm also glad when I see this statistic. I'm sorry, I'm selfish! I just think that something like this might maybe, just maybe move ENTs and the medical community out of the whole 8 kHz and TRT/get used to it b.s., into whole-hearted actual regeneration research for a CURE, not to mention stronger noise legislation to prevent the problem in the first place!!

This.

This is the mentality of an MPP'er.

 

[Manny]

This.

This is the mentality of an MPP'er.

Haha what's MPP mean?

 

[attheedgeofscience]

One of the co-authors of the Dutch study was interviewed by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. The podcast can be found here.