What is the cause of noise-induced deafness?

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Various fashions are popular in modern society, including dancing in discos, singing in KTVs, and playing games in noisy entertainment halls. As everyone knows, when they are immersed in endless noise and enjoy it, they do not know that there are endless dangers hidden in it. Long-term exposure to high-intensity sound can lead to hearing weakness, ear fatigue, and even deafness.



What is the cause of noise-induced deafness?

Noise-induced deafness is sensorineural hearing loss. Hearing loss occurs due to prolonged exposure to noisy environments and excessive sound, causing damage to the cochlea of ​​the inner ear. Noise-induced hearing loss occurs when a patient's exposure causes hearing loss, which may be temporary or permanent, depending on the level or duration of exposure. Its frequency decreases, especially the hearing loss at high frequencies (especially 3-6kHz), and the hearing threshold increases.

The first thing is to identify the reasons. Staying in a noisy environment for too long and making too much noise are first of all caused by the occupational environment and work, and occupational relationship damage. Commonly seen are strong noises such as chain saws, internal combustion engines, pumps or aircraft. Both can damage the inner ear. Activities such as shooting, snowmobiling, flying, and diamond playing are often associated with noise-induced deafness. Exposure to loud noise causes hair cells in the inner ear to disappear. Although susceptibility to noise-induced deafness varies greatly between individuals, almost everyone will have hearing damage if exposed to noise of sufficient intensity for a sufficient period of time. Any noise above 85dB is damaging. Nowadays, with the continuous improvement of occupational protection work, the proportion of noise-induced deafness caused by occupational factors has gradually decreased.

But now because young people like to listen to music loudly with headphones, and now in disco and KTV environments, the sound is very loud, and looking for various sound stimulations has gradually increased non-professionalism. When the noise intensity exceeds 85 to 90dB, it will cause damage to the cochlea. Only some people are susceptible to it and are easily damaged. When the exposure time is too long, or the distance to the noise is too close, it is easy to cause noise-induced deafness. There is no good treatment for noise-induced deafness. The main thing is prevention. First of all, it is recommended that teenagers should not listen to music with headphones too much and the music should not be too loud. Just avoid going to loud entertainment venues. Overseas, some "dangerous decibel" education is done for teenagers, 1. Educate children to know the source of dangerous sounds; 2. What are the consequences of being exposed to dangerous sounds; 3. How can I protect myself from dangerous sounds.

When the noise intensity exceeds 85-90dB, it will cause damage to the cochlea. The degree of damage is related to the following factors:
1. Noise intensity: Noise-induced ear diseaseThe frequency of deafness increases with noise intensity.
2. Noise spectrum characteristics: Under the same intensity conditions, high-frequency noise causes more damage to hearing than low-frequency noise; narrow-band noise or pure tone causes greater damage to hearing than wide-band noise.
3. Noise type: Impulse noise is more harmful than steady-state noise.
4. Exposure time and mode: Continuous exposure is more damaging than intermittent exposure; the longer the exposure period to noise, the more severe the hearing damage; the closer to the noise source, the more susceptible to hearing damage.
5. Individual susceptibility: The elderly and frail, and those who have suffered from sensorineural deafness are susceptible to noise damage; there are still divergent opinions on the impact of middle ear diseases, and some believe that the eardrum is perforated. For those with interruption of the ossicular chain, noise damage is relatively mild.


Noise-induced hearing loss is a slow, progressive hearing loss caused by long-term exposure to noise stimulation. Early symptoms include auditory fatigue and decreased hearing sensitivity, which can gradually recover after leaving the noisy environment, which is called temporary deafness. Over time, the hearing loss becomes permanent and irrecoverable, which is called permanent deafness. The audiogram shows that early hearing loss occurs in the high-frequency area, manifesting as a V-shaped decrease at 4,000Hz. The speech frequency can be normal and will not affect language communication. As the disease progresses, all frequencies will eventually decrease. At this time, hearing impairment will be felt, which is severe. The person may be completely deaf. People with sensorineural deafness and noise sensitivity should avoid working in strong noise environments. Those who are exposed to noise should have their hearing checked regularly to detect early hearing damage in a timely manner and provide appropriate treatment.

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