Doctors Of Hearing Blog

Hearing loss can happen because of genetic mutations during development of a baby. The inner ear has two special proteins that are only found in the ear. These proteins can be affected by gene mutations that happen when babies are developing in the womb.

Ongoing research shows that it may soon be possible to intervene and stop those mutations. If you are about to have a baby, you should contact Doctors of Hearing for an update of what can be done to save your unborn child from hearing loss. The gene mutations either cause a delay in hearing development of hearing or total loss.

The genes in question are the SLC26A4, they are the ones that encode proteins forming hearing channels capable of converting sound waves into electrical pulses that can be transmitted by neurons into the brain. The brain can then process the electrical pulses to interpret sounds.When these genes mutate, they cause a variance in the way the channel are formed.

That in turn causes the channels to produce wrong electrical pulses that the brain cannot interpret correctly. DoctorsOfHearing says current research points to a possibility of intervening and stopping hearing loss during embryonic formation. It is possible to intervene and stop the effects caused by the gene mutations that lead to deafness.

Although no tests have been done on humans, the results showed that absences of the gene caused swelling of the inner ear, thus causing deafness. Other effects of the gene mutation are loss of balance, which could explain why other kids take long before they learn to walk.

The research concluded that by repairing the endolymphatic sac while the baby is still in the embryonic stage, it could be possible to restore hearing loss and balance to normal levels. If you are expecting to have a baby, or there are cases of deafness in your family, it is possible your unborn child will be affected as well.
You should visit Doctors of Hearing, in Los Angeles, Pasadena, for a diagnosis and medical advice. 

Contact us at DoctorsOfHearing.com for more information!  909-466-7722

Our inner ear has a sensory organ called the epithlium that has two layers of cells. The first layer is the hair cells. The second layer is the Supporting Cells. The hair cells in particular are sensitive to change in motion, sound waves, and gravity. In humans, just like the rest of mammals, the inner ears cannot regenerate if they are destroyed.

Irreversible Damage of Hair Cells
The damaged tissues are usually replaced by scar tissue. Any excessive exposure to acoustic noise will cause a permanent damage to hair cells. According to Doctors of Hearing's study to learn what happen found that in zebrafish using a DGE (digital gene expression), and observing the specimen under high resolution, damage-induced hair reproduction was demonstrated. That is important because the zebrafish is very similar to the sensory epithelia of our inner ear. It may help in the stem cell research with a focus to the human ear.

Higher Noise Levels Guarantees Damage to Our Inner Ear

In another study to find out how much damage gunfire can do to our ears, it was found that noise produce by 10 and 200 rounds of fire reduced the pig's perception of sound by 66% to 97%. What that mean is that we have to protect our ears from all sorts of ear damage from excessive noise. If you think that you might already be affected after being exposed to excessive noise, then you should contact DoctorsOfHearing in Los Angeles, Pasadena.

Hair Cells Support
Other studies done on mice have indicated that even though the hair cell is not responsible for supporting itself; the Support Cells are right beneath it. That’s currently the focus of the next research in finding a solution with damage caused by excessive noise levels. If you have any questions about hair cell loss management, please contact Doctors of Hearing in Los Angeles, Pasadena.

People who are experiencing hearing problems that they want to address can contact Doctors of Hearing Inc. at 909-466-7722. The Rancho Office is located at: 8241 Rochester Ave #130, Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730.  Or... Fill out our contact form: http://doctorsofhearing.com/about-us/contact-us

Hearing Loss can occur at any age, and for a number of reasons. Depending on the type, treatment may vary. Basically, hearing loss could be conductive, sensorineural or mixed, that is both conductive and sensorineural. While there is problem in conducting sound waves along the outer ear, eardrum and middle ear in the conductive type of hearing loss,

sensorineural type describes the situation in which the root cause is in the outer ear, cranial nerve or central auditory processing parts of the brain.

Symptoms

Most people believe that hearing loss affects only older people. According to research, 20% of adults in America report of hearing problems. While the problem is a common one, a lot of people do not know what the symptoms are until it becomes too late. Below are symptoms that may develop when one starts to have hearing problems:

• Difficulty in Understanding what people are saying. 
• Muffled voices.
• Difficulty in picking out people’s voices among other noise.
• Listening to TV programs and Radio at higher volumes than usual.
• Depression
• Ear pain, itching and irritation.
• Fluid coming out of the ear due to infection.

Causes of Hearing Loss

Gradual exposure to Loud Music and Aging

Gradual exposure to loud music and aging could lead to damage of the nerve cells that send sound signal to the brain. When there is no nerve cell to send sound messages to the brain, there is shortage in the hearing abilities which could cause higher pitch sounds to appear like muffles.

Earwax buildup

The buildup of earwax can block the ear canal and prevent the conduction of sound waves.

Ear Infection and Unhealthy Ear Growth
In the outer or middle ear, the presence of an infection, or worse the growth of a tumor would greatly affect hearing.

Damaged Ear Drums
When the eardrum is ruptured, or there is a tympanic membrane perforation which is caused by loud blast of noise that suddenly changes in pressure. This can easily cause, at best, an infection or, at worst, a perforated ear drum which in turn affects the level of hearing loss.

Hearing Solutions
The first step into getting hearing solution is making a timely visit to your audiologists. This is an important aspect of curing loss of hearing because audiologists would easily tell you specifically, through a full test, what is causing it. From there, it is easier to administer a hearing solution. Also, the audiologists may recommend hearing aids which are of different types, design, functions and costs. Although, hearing aids would not correct hearing loss totally, they are still very effective in many situations.

Hearing is a gift that many people take for granted but when one experiences ringing in the ears or hearing loss, then one’s daily routine is affected. There are several factors that cause hearing loss and some of them include exposure to loud noise over a period of time, aging and insertion of objects into the ear among others.

The main reason for hearing loss is the damage of the cochlea which contains over 15000 hair cells. Thanks to improved technology, people with hearing loss can get to hear again.

Below are relief measures for patients with hearing loss.

Hearing aids

Today, hearing loss is brought about by loud noise and aging can be relieved thanks to hearing aids. These are miniature devices that have been developed to enable patients to be able to hear. It is composed of a hearing piece which captures sound much the same as the inner ear. It converts waves into audible sound therefore allowing one to participate in a conversation.

They are fitted with volume adjusters therefore helping one to adjust the amount of sound the device projects into the ear. As an inexpensive solution to hearing loss, you need to seek the help of an audiologist for better fitting.

Cochlear implants

For patients with severe hearing loss, a cochlear is one of the best option. Unlike hearing aids provided by audiologists and which help to amplify sound as it directs it to the ear canal, a cochlear implant helps to compensates for damaged or non working parts of a patient’s inner ear.
If you opt for this option, it’s best to discuss the risks and benefits with your audiologists as well as with your ENT doctor.