{"id":17255,"date":"2019-08-15T07:00:10","date_gmt":"2019-08-15T14:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nuheara.com\/hidden-hearing-loss-epidemic\/"},"modified":"2022-03-01T03:13:54","modified_gmt":"2022-03-01T03:13:54","slug":"hidden-hearing-loss-epidemic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nuheara.com\/usa\/news\/hidden-hearing-loss-epidemic\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside the Growing Epidemic of Hidden Hearing Loss"},"content":{"rendered":"

Until 10 years ago, audiologists insisted that anyone who could pass a hearing test had normal hearing. In a typical hearing test, the audiologist looks for damage to the hair cells inside of the ears<\/a> that detects vibration and transfers it to sound. During a test called an audiogram, the audiologist plays sounds at various frequencies. They then measure the response of the inner-ear hair cells. In most cases, those diagnosed with a hearing loss have difficulty hearing low-volume sounds played at specific frequencies.<\/p>\n

The image below shows a cross section through the cochlea of the ear with detail of the organ of Corti, showing the tectorial membrane and cells responsible for hearing.<\/p>\n

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Hidden Hearing Loss is Hard to Detect & Test For<\/h2>\n

Unfortunately, a person can have damaged hearing and still pass a typical audiogram. Before hearing loss affects the hair cells of the ears, it first impacts fibers located in the auditory nerves. These nerves typically connect to hair cells to allow people to hear in a noisy environment. When working together properly, the auditory nerves and hair cells help people to block out background noise and hear the conversation of the people sitting closest to them.<\/p>\n

Hidden hearing loss doesn\u2019t appear on an audiogram due to the way an audiologist typically performs the test. Besides taking place in a quiet room, the low-volume frequencies played by the audiologist don\u2019t cause any response in the auditory nerve fibers. The person passes the test and likely continues to struggle with hearing loss for many years.<\/p>\n

Recently, Juan Bagnell of SomeGadgetGuy.com<\/a> opened up about his troubles with hidden hearing loss on his YouTube Channel<\/a> with Dr. Alison Grimes of UCLA. Here is how Dr. Grimes explained hidden hearing loss:<\/p>\n

“The classic patient with hidden hearing loss comes into the clinic and says, ‘I feel like I have hearing loss.’ We do a hearing test and we tell the patient that their hearing test is normal. And they come back and say, ‘But I have difficulty hearing… I have difficulty hearing in noise… I’m missing conversations.’ And then if you sort of scratch the surface a little bit you come to find out this is person who’s maybe had quite a bit of noise exposure.<\/p>\n

So we know it’s happening. It’s happening probably at the junction of the hair cell and the inner ear to the primary auditory neuron of the eighth cranial nerve. So, when people have hearing tests, our hearing tests are very gross. Hidden hearing loss is very fine. We’re just not picking it up. But these are people who have difficulty hearing speech and noise. That’s one of the primary complaints.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Watch the full video below:<\/p>\n