Deafness has been a major problem for human beings since ancient times. Not only does it prevent people from hearing the heavenly sound, but it can even cause them to lose their most important communication tool – language. With the in-depth research on deafness and the rapid development of medical technology, the prevention and treatment of deafness is ushering in a new spring, and more and more deaf patients can return to the world of sound. According to statistics, there are currently 278 million people worldwide with moderate hearing impairment, and the number of people with hearing disability in China is more than 20 million, accounting for about a quarter of the total number of people with disabilities, which suggests that the prevention and treatment of deafness is still a long way to go. The key to deafness prevention is early detection, early intervention and early treatment to effectively reduce the incidence of deafness. Human sound is transmitted along the pathway from the outer ear to the middle ear to the inner ear to the center, and a “short circuit” in any part of the pathway can lead to deafness. Depending on the nature of the deafness, we can classify it into two categories: conductive deafness and sensorineural deafness. Conductive deafness is primarily a disorder of acoustic conduction caused by a lesion in the outer or middle ear, while sensorineural deafness is primarily a disorder of acoustoelectric conversion and neuroelectric signal transmission caused by a lesion in the inner ear or auditory nerve. Deafness is characterized by complex etiology and a wide variety of diseases, so we only introduce the prevention and treatment of common deafness diseases in clinical practice below. 1, cerumen embolism: cerumen, commonly known as “earwax”, is a normal secretion of the human external ear canal, which has a protective effect on the skin of the external ear canal. The main preventive and curative measures are to avoid water in the ear canal and to minimize ear digging to reduce damage and infection. If there is a significant hearing loss, you should go to the hospital to remove it as soon as possible; for combined infections, you need to use antibiotic ear drops at the same time. 2. Secretory otitis media: The normal middle ear contains air, but when the middle ear’s drainage channel, the eustachian tube, is blocked, fluid can accumulate in the middle ear, causing secretory otitis media. Secretory otitis media is a common cause of deafness in children, mainly manifested as hearing loss and a sense of diaphragm. Long-term rhinitis, sinusitis and adenoidal hypertrophy are common causes. The main preventive and curative measures are to remove the cause, actively treat nasal and nasopharyngeal diseases, use drugs to promote the absorption and discharge of middle ear fluid, and perform tympanic membrane puncture and aspiration or tympanic membrane placement if necessary to remove middle ear fluid and improve middle ear ventilation. 3. Acute purulent otitis media: It is an acute purulent inflammation of the middle ear mucosa, which is common in children and is mostly secondary to colds. The main manifestations are ear pain, ear pus and hearing loss. Prevention: usually strengthen physical exercise to prevent colds; avoid sucking back snot when you have a cold; those with tympanic membrane perforation should not swim. The main treatment is to use antibiotics systemically to control the infection; locally use hydrogen peroxide to clean the pus in the ear canal, keep the drainage open, and use antibiotic ear drops. 4. Chronic purulent otitis media: It is one of the main causes of conductive deafness, clinically manifested as repeated ear pus, tympanic membrane perforation, and gradual hearing loss, and in combination with cholesteatoma, it can cause various intracranial and external complications. Preventive measures: Avoid colds and water in the ear as much as possible to reduce acute attacks; surgical treatment should be performed as early as possible to remove middle ear lesions, reconstruct hearing and prevent complications; if there is an acute attack, treat as acute suppurative otitis media. 5. Otosclerosis: It is a conductive deafness caused by the fixation of the middle ear auditory chain, which mostly has a family history. There is no effective preventive measure, early detection, early diagnosis and early treatment are the key. Otosclerosis is mainly treated surgically, using artificial hearing bones instead of fixed autologous hearing bones, which can effectively restore hearing. 6. Sudden deafness: It is a sudden sensorineural deafness of unknown cause, which is currently thought to be caused by vascular lesions, viral infections and other factors causing inner ear damage. It is usually found unilaterally after waking up, and may be accompanied by tinnitus and vertigo. Once the above manifestations appear, you should go to the hospital for hearing examination and seek early treatment. At present, medication is used, mainly systemic glucocorticoids, vasodilators and nerve nutrients. In terms of prevention, we should pay attention to the combination of work and rest, and avoid staying up late and mental tension. 7.Age-related deafness: It is a sensorineural deafness caused by degenerative changes of the inner ear and the auditory nerve, which usually occurs at the age of 60 or above and is the main cause of deafness in the elderly. The clinical manifestation is a slow progressive hearing loss in both ears, starting with high frequency hearing loss and later spreading to low and middle frequency hearing. Prevention is based on active treatment of hypertension, diabetes and other diseases, and delaying neurological and microvascular disease. The main treatment is to rely on hearing aids to improve hearing, and in severe cases, cochlear implantation is feasible. 8.Pediatric sensorineural deafness: It can be divided into congenital and acquired, and the causes are complex, which can be caused by genetic, maternal, infectious, drug, trauma and other factors, and it is usually bilateral, and most of them are severe deafness, which seriously affects the development of hearing and language of children, and has a high disability rate, and is also the focus of deafness prevention in China. Newborn hearing screening is the most important means to prevent pediatric deafness, and the genetic diagnosis of deafness carried out in recent years is expected to reduce the birth rate of congenitally deaf children. Early detection and early intervention are the most important principles for the rehabilitation of deaf children. The current treatment for severe pediatric deafness relies only on hearing aids and cochlear implants.