Demographic survey statistics.
There is 1 congenitally deaf child in every 1000 newborns in China There are 27.8 million people with hearing disabilities (including multiple disabilities) in China, and the hearing disability rate is 2.11%. There are more than 800,000 hearing impaired children in China, and the number of newborn deaf children is increasing at the rate of 30,000 every year. Hearing impairment seriously affects the life, learning and social interaction of this group. How can we treat and prevent deafness?
Definition of Deafness
The average hearing threshold at speech frequency (0.5-1.2Hz) is 26dB or more, which means hearing impairment. Those who have hearing loss within 70dB weigh hearing, and those who have hearing loss above 70dB are deaf, which are collectively referred to as deafness in clinical practice.
Causes of deafness
There are many causes of deafness, including genetics, diseases (mumps, influenza, scarlet fever, diphtheria, typhoid, syphilis, meningitis, diabetes, autoimmune system diseases), trauma, etc. In addition, gas, poisoning, noise, noise, and other diseases can cause deafness. In addition, factors such as gas, poisoning, noise, and lack of oxygen at birth can also cause deafness. More than a hundred kinds of drugs have been found to be toxic to the ear. The most common ototoxic drugs include gentamicin, streptomycin, kanamycin, jessamine, minomycin, erythromycin and other antibiotics. There are also salicylic acid preparations, strong diuretics such as tachyphylaxis, and anti-malarial drugs such as quinine and chloroquine.
Classification of deafness
It can be classified by degree as.
(1) Mild hearing impairment, no communication difficulties, but hearing instruments measure hearing worse than normal.
(2) Mild hearing loss with inaudible whispered speech at a normal distance.
(3)Moderate hearing loss, difficulty in listening to general speech already.
(4) Moderate to severe hearing loss, difficulty in listening to loud speech.
(5) Severe hearing loss, can only hear loud shouting in the ear.
(6) Very severe hearing loss, in which you can hardly hear any sound and cannot hear even loud shouts in your ears.
Deafness can be classified as congenital deafness or acquired deafness according to the time of occurrence of deafness.
It can be roughly divided into conductive deafness, neurological deafness and mixed deafness according to the location of the lesion.
Examination of deafness
(1) Routine physical examination for any abnormalities in the external auditory canal and tympanic membrane.
(2)Audiological examination such as pure tone audiometry, acoustic conductance, otoacoustic emission, cochlea electrogram, auditory brainstem evoked potential, etc., to understand the degree, nature and lesion site of hearing loss.
(3) CT and MRI scan will be performed as appropriate.
(4) Genetic diagnosis to provide an accurate diagnostic basis for clinical consultation and prenatal diagnosis to prevent re-birth of deaf children.
Treatment of deafness
(1) Conductive deafness: can be treated by medication and surgery. If deafness caused by acute suppurative otitis media is treated with anti-inflammatory therapy, and deafness caused by chronic suppurative otitis media can be treated with surgery, which can reconstruct hearing, although it cannot return to normal hearing, but still improve. Those who cannot undergo surgery or surgery is ineffective can be fitted with hearing aids.
(2) Sensorineural deafness: In acute cases, early and timely treatment, such as hormones, microcirculation improvement, and nerve nutrition drugs, is emphasized. In chronic cases, effective treatments include: hearing aids, vibrating sound bridges, cochlear implants, etc.
Prevention of deafness
(1) Eliminate marriage between close relatives, carry out premarital counseling for deafness, actively prevent and treat diseases during pregnancy, strengthen perinatal management, and reduce birth injuries. Promote newborn hearing screening to achieve early detection of deafness in infants and children and early treatment or early auditory language training.
(2) To conduct genetic screening for deafness in people suspected of genetic factors causing deafness and their family members, and to guide marriage and childbirth to avoid the birth of deaf children.
(3) Improve the standard of living, prevent and control infectious diseases, exercise, ensure physical and mental health, and delay the aging process.
(4) Strictly grasp the indications for applying ototoxic drugs.
(5) Avoid cranio-cerebral injury, minimize contact with harmful physical factors such as strong noise and chemical substances, and strengthen individual protection. Quit smoking and drinking habits.