In my last blog, I discussed the disturbing results of a new research study that found one in five American teenagers already has some degree of hearing loss----a startling 31 percent increase since the late 1980s. The study results were recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, and showed that the number of teens with impaired hearing in at least one ear rose to 20 percent from 15 percent.

Your child needn’t be included in these statistics. The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) sponsors an excellent website called It's a Noisy Planet. Protect Their Hearing. This national public education campaign is designed to increase awareness among parents of children about the causes and prevention of noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). With this information, parents and other adults can encourage children to adopt healthy hearing habits before and during the time that they develop listening, leisure, and working habits. NIDCD is one our government’s National Institutes of Health.

This site includes a wealth of resources, including tips for protecting your child’s hearing, ways to talk to your child about hearing loss and hearing protection, podcasts featuring NIDCD personnel and much more. You can check out this valuable resource by logging on to www.noisyplanet.nidcd.nih.gov

A new research study has found that one in five American teenagers already has some degree of hearing loss----a startling 31 percent increase since the late 1980s.

Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston used government survey data to compare rates of hearing loss among 12- to 19-year-olds during 1988 to 1994, with the period 2005 to 2006. They based their findings on records of and interviews with nearly 4,700 kids ages 12-19 in a study led by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The results showed that the number of teens with impaired hearing in at least one ear rose to 20 percent from 15 percent. The study results were recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. In most cases, the hearing loss was slight. However, hearing loss is usually permanent and potentially progressive. Even mild degrees of hearing loss in children can negatively affect their educational performance and their social interactions.

The reason for the dramatic increase in hearing loss isn't clear, but many parents contend with kids who play their video games and portable music players too loud. Long-term exposure to very loud noises, including music, can cause permanent hearing loss. A case in point: a recent study of children in Australia found a 70 percent increased risk of hearing loss with the use of personal stereo devices.

If you notice changes in your child's hearing -- especially in the ability to hear when there's background noise – you should consider taking your child for a hearing test. And check back for my next blog, which will offer ways parents can protect their children's hearing.

According to a study published in May 2010 in the journal Pediatrics, hearing loss in one ear is enough to cause language problems for kids. Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri tested 74 pairs of school-age siblings. Half the children had hearing loss in one ear, while their siblings had normal hearing.

The study found that the impaired kids scored lower on both comprehension and speech tests and were more likely to be receiving speech therapy than their siblings; but up to one in 20 kids with such hearing loss often don't receive the help they need, such as a front seat in class, hearing aids or special education.

"Unlike children with hearing loss in both ears, who are routinely fitted with hearing aids and receive accommodations for disability, children with hearing loss in one ear may not be considered to have a 'significant hearing loss,'" the researchers wrote. “Our results suggest that children with hearing loss in one ear should be eligible for the same accommodations as children with hearing loss in both ears."

The key idea of study, according to its authors, is that we don't want to ignore children with hearing loss in one ear.
 
Click here to review the study.

A study of more than 3500 men over a nearly 20-year period has found that folic acid may reduce the risk of hearing loss in men by 20 percent. The results of the study were presented at the 2009 American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF) Annual Meeting in San Diego.

Men are more likely to experience hearing loss than women. The study’s researchers used data from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study cohort from years 1986 to 2004, which included 51,529 male health professionals. In this population, the investigators identified 3,559 cases of hearing loss. When they evaluated the nutritional data, they discovered that men older than 60 who had maintained a high folic acid (folate) intake had a 20 percent reduced risk of developing hearing loss. Folate occurs naturally in food; folic acid is the synthetic form found in supplements and as a food additive. Other nutrients, including the antioxidants vitamins C and E and beta-carotene, did not demonstrate any benefit regarding hearing loss.

The daily Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for folate is 400 micrograms for both men and women ages 19 and older. Men who want to help reduce their risk of hearing loss can their recommended RDA of folate through supplementation or by eating food rich in the B vitamin, including green leafy vegetables, lentils, beans, and fortified cereals.
 

According to research conducted by otolaryngologists at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, roller coasters can give you more than a quick shot of adrenaline. They have linked the force of acceleration in roller coasters to ear barotrauma, which in extreme cases can lead to temporary hearing loss, dizziness, ear pain or the sensation of ear popping.

Ear barotrauma occurs when there is a relatively quick change in pressure outside the ear drum and the pressure in the middle ear space. This common condition is most often occurs during air travel and scuba diving, and most recently to the use of improvised explosive devices in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Today's roller coasters have higher speeds and sharper turns, which are more likely to result in ear injury. In the case studied, a 24-year-old man turned his head during a roller coaster ride, causing his right ear to be exposed to about 0.6 PSI (pounds per square inch) when the roller coaster accelerated. The researchers estimated the ride he was on reached a maximum speed of 120 mph within 4 seconds.  The pressure caused barotrauma to the ear, resulting in pain, swelling of the ear canal, and an inflamed ear drum. Study results were presented April 30 at the Triological Society's 113th annual meeting in Las Vegas.

Although the risk of experiencing barotrauma when riding a roller coaster is low, it is most likely to occur if passengers do not remain facing forward during the ride. To minimize your risk, always remain facing forward during the ride to help prevent the full impact of acceleration hitting your ear.

A study conducted by researchers from Harvard University, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Vanderbilt University and the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary found that regular use of pain killers such as aspirin, acetaminophen and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) increases the risk of hearing loss in men below 60.
 
Investigators compiled responses from participants in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, which tracked over 26,000 men every two years for 18 years. A questionnaire inquired about analgesic use, hearing loss and a variety of physiological, medical and demographic factors. The data showed that men below 60 were a third more likely to have hearing problems if they regularly took aspirin. However there was no greater risk in those over 60, the findings suggest. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), which include Ibuprofen, were found to increase the risk by 61 per cent for those under 50, 32 per cent for those in their 50s and 16 per cent for those aged 60 and over. The results were published in the American Journal of Medicine.

One of the authors of the study, Dr Sharon Curhan from the Department of Medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, noted that "Regular use of (these drugs) might increase the risk of adult hearing loss, particularly in younger individuals.  Given the high prevalence of regular analgesic use and health and social implications of hearing impairment, this represents an important public health issue."

As always, consult your physician if you have questions about the risks of using any prescription or over-the-counter medication.

Children with cochlear implants rate their quality of life as highly as children with normal hearing, according to one of the first studies that looked at children as well as their parents.

A team of American researchers asked 84 children with cochlear implants how they felt about themselves, their family lives, their friends and school. The questionnaires were completed at various summer camps designed for children with CIs in Texas and Colorado. Parents were questioned separately, and the responses were compared with those of a control group of 1,501 children the same ages, 8 to 16, with normal hearing. The paper appears in the Feb. 1 issue of Otolaryngology — Head and Neck Surgery.

The lead author, Betty A. Loy, is quoted as saying the information would be useful to parents making decisions about cochlear implants for their babies. “They want to know: ‘Is my kid going to be made fun of? Is my kid going to be bullied? How is my kid going to feel about themselves with this apparatus on their head?’ ” said Dr. Loy, of the Dallas Cochlear Implant Program.

To read the full story in the New York Times, click here.

To read the study abstract, click here.

A gene associated with a rare form of progressive deafness in males has been identified by an international team of researchers funded by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. The gene, PRPS1, appears to be crucial in inner ear development and maintenance. The findings are published in the December 17 early online issue of the American Journal of Human Genetics.

This discovery has therapeutic implications because it gives scientists a way to develop a targeted treatment for hearing loss in boys with this disorder. It may also open doors to the treatment of other types of deafness, including some forms of acquired hearing loss.

The gene is associated with DFN2, a progressive form of deafness that primarily affects males. Boys with DFN2 begin to lose their hearing in both ears roughly between the ages of 5 and 15, and over the course of several decades will experience hearing loss that can range from severe to profound. Their mothers, who carry the defective PRPS1 gene, may experience hearing loss as well, but much later in life and in a milder form. Families with DFN2 have been identified in the United States, Great Britain, and China.

To read the full story, click here.

A recent article in USA Today reported on a helpful new resource for people who are considering the purchase of a hearing aid—or whose loved ones are. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has just published a primer on Hearing Aids that includes such useful topics as types of hearing aids, benefits and safety issues, and how to obtain hearing aids.
 
Both the USA Today article and the FDA guide recommend that consumers get a medical and audiologic examination prior to their purchase of a hearing aid. The FDA believes that it is in your best health interest to have a medical examination by a licensed physician -- preferably one that specializes in ear diseases -- before buying hearing aids.
 
Read the full USA Today article.
 
Check the FDA’s Guide to Hearing Aids in the home health and consumer products section for government recommendations on hearing devices.

Researchers from the University of California, Berkeley and a consortium of Korean institutions finds that there is "possible evidence linking mobile phone use to an increased risk of tumors." Their analysis has been published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

During the meta-analysis, researchers examined 465 articles published in major journals and focused on 23 studies involving 37,916 participants. In eight of the studies – where "blinding" was used, meaning that researchers were not told which people in the study had tumors  -- cell phone users were shown to have a 10% to 30% increased risk of tumors compared with people who rarely or never used cell phones. The risk was highest among those who had used cellphones for 10 years or more.

However, the scientists agree that more research is required before a definitive conclusion can be reached. The lead author of the analysis, Dr. Seung-Kwon Myung from the National Cancer Center in Goyang, South Korea, said it is not possible to draw conclusions without larger, more rigorous studies conducted without the influence of the cell phone industry.

Read more at Consumer Affairs.