"Doctor, help me!"
When I woke up, I couldn't hear anything.
I'm still young..."
Today's young people are increasingly out of control of their bodies
Without the slightest defense, the head is bald
Without warning, the ear says deaf is deaf
Let's see the power of "sudden deafness."
(Source: Zhejiang Satellite TV Economic Life Channel)
(Source: Jiangsu SATELLITE TV)
In some recently reported news of sudden deafness, the first reaction of the person concerned is:
"The ears were not traumatized, nor did they listen to the stimulating sounds, and all of a sudden they turned on mute mode and couldn't hear anything..."
In fact, deafness is not uncommon with otolaryngologists.
For example, knock deafness (noise-induced ear trauma) and occupational noise deafness (chronic degenerative lesions of the sensory system) can often find a more specific cause of "deafness".
But there is a kind of deafness that is more peculiar: the patient suddenly becomes deaf one day without warning. I was still immersed in the song listening software in the middle of the night last night, and waking up in the morning was like a cotton cloud stuffed in my ears.
Most patients have no obvious cause of the disease, and many occur during sleep.
This kind of strange hearing loss event, known medically as sudden deafness, also known as sudden deafness, is an emergency in otolaryngology.
Image source: Stand Cool Helo
At the onset of the disease, the patient will feel a feeling of fullness and obstruction in the ear for a short period of time or 72 hours, and may also be accompanied by discomfort such as dizziness and vomiting; sudden hearing loss in one ear (very few people will have a bilateral attack). For example, plug in headphones, one ear can hear the sound clearly, but the other can not hear it at all.
The most commonly used hearing test standard is to do pure tone audiometry, and at least 3 frequencies (500 Hz, 1000 Hz, 2000 Hz) are connected to the pure audiometry chart≥ 30 dB [1].
What is this concept?
The sound of the refrigerator starting at home is about 30 decibels. If you find that it is difficult to hear even the sound of the refrigerator starting at home, accompanied by symptoms such as tinnitus, ear tightness, and dizziness[2], you should be very careful.
Sudden deafness is a neurological disease, referred to as "sudden deafness", which mainly involves the inner ear, and the patient's ear canal is not damaged at all.
(The ear is divided into three parts: outer ear, middle ear and inner ear)
The inner ear of man is mainly some auditory nerve cells, which exist in the cochlea, which feels the sound from the outside world, converts the sound energy of mechanical vibration into bioelectric energy, produces nerve impulses, and then passes into the auditory center, we can hear the sound.
(Structure of the inner ear)
Sudden deafness occurs in this part - suddenly a bug arises, and the sound from the outside has not yet reached the auditory center, and it is "halfway dead" in the inner ear area.
So what is the cause of the bug[3]?
Infection (e.g., meningitis, syphilis, or HIV infection)
Ear diseases (e.g., cholesteatoma)
Trauma (such as head trauma)
Autoimmune diseases (e.g., Cogan syndrome)
Developmental abnormalities, etc
However, these are just a few of the little things we can find that cause bugs.
Of the first-time patients, 90% are unable to find a definitive cause and are idiopathic neurotically deaf [1].
Sudden deafness came so abruptly that people didn't have a little defense!
Since it happened suddenly, would it suddenly disappear?
First of all, whether it will disappear or not, be clear:
Sudden deafness is an emergency, and the golden window for the treatment of sudden deafness is generally within 3 to 5 days after the onset of the disease, and the later it is, the worse the treatment effect, and even leads to permanent deafness.
Therefore, once you notice sudden tinnitus or hearing loss, do not hesitate, it is best to go to the hospital immediately.
If there is a clear cause, the cause treatment needs to be carried out, such as anti-infection therapy for those who are infected with the cause.
If the cause cannot be clear, hormone administration or hyperbaric oxygen therapy is generally recommended.
So, will sudden deafness be "cured without cure"?
In fact, there are also such cases.
The data show that up to 32% to 65% of patients with sudden deafness can heal spontaneously, but self-healing depends on a variety of factors (age, degree of hearing loss, time between onset and treatment, etc.) [1].
But this is a probabilistic event, and everyone can't take risks, and they can't afford to take this risk.
Foreign epidemiological surveys show that in 1971, 3.9 people per 100,000 people suffered from sudden deafness; but in 2011, the incidence rose to 5 to 20/100,000 people, and there were about 4,000 new cases per year [2].
The peak age of the disease is middle-aged people aged 40 to 60 years, but now, the age of onset also has a tendency to shift towards rejuvenation.
Just rush these data, and really don't easily slack off the sudden deafness, friend.
"Staying up late continuously", "nervousness", "poor eating", "upset mood", "low body immunity"...
These keywords frequently appear in patients with sudden deafness, and these factors are indeed recognized as "triggers" for sudden deafness.
The nerve cells in the inner ear work overtime day and night to conduct sound for us.
But if we continue to lack sleep and have high mental stress, causing vascular nerve dyskinesia, vascular spasm of the nerve cells that supply our inner ear, fragile nerve cell damage is also a matter of minutes.
So, rat tail juice....
(Source: soogif)
To avoid losing control of the body, the key is to keep daily protection in place.
Sleep well (to ensure 7 to 8 hours of sleep time) eat well, exercise properly, we will not say more about these, after all, it is basic health literacy.
There is also a question that many heavy users of headphones care about - can noise-canceling headphones really protect hearing?
In fact, there is no research to prove that "noise-canceling headphones help reduce hearing loss".
Because the "reduced" noise here is external noise, noise-canceling headphones only improve the sound quality and cannot adjust the loudness of the sound, so there is no special effect of protecting the inner ear.
Therefore, to prevent sudden deafness, remember to do the following:
Usually pay attention to avoid contact with noise (noise environment can consider the use of earplugs);
Reduce the use of headphones, and the continuous wearing time should not exceed 60 minutes;
Keep the ears clean and hygienic, avoid infections, avoid ear trauma and head trauma;
Try to avoid the use of ototoxic drugs, such as gentamicin, furosemide, streptomycin, kanamycin, etc.;
Once sudden hearing loss, persistent tinnitus, and ear distension are found, you should seek medical attention as soon as possible.
Although the ear is the most inconspicuous of the five features, it is very important, and you must love yourself well
(Source: American drama "The Big Bang Theory")
*The content of this article is a popularization of health knowledge and cannot be used as a specific diagnosis and treatment recommendation, nor is it a substitute for face-to-face consultation by a practicing physician, for reference only.
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