The day before the exam, however, she woke up early in the morning and could not hear anything. The 28-year-old nurse Xiao Zhao stayed up several nights studying for the title exam, but the day before the exam, she got up early in the morning and suddenly couldn’t hear anything in both ears and was diagnosed with sudden deafness. The reporter learned from an interview at the Department of Otolaryngology of the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical College that in recent years, the onset of sudden deafness has shown a clear trend of youthfulness, “We have treated 20 to 30 cases in the first half of this year, and if we include those who seek medical treatment in outpatient clinics and are not hospitalized for various reasons, there are more than that.” Zhang Xiaowen, director of the ENT department of the hospital, told reporters that among these patients, young people in their twenties account for about 10 percent. Experts remind that the cause of sudden deafness is still unclear, but from a clinical point of view, most of them are related to staying up late, stress and overwork. Medical guidance/ Zhang Xiaowen, director of the Department of Otolaryngology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical College ● Sudden deafness has shown an obvious trend of youthfulness in recent years, and many students and white-collar workers in their twenties and thirties have become a high-risk group ● The cause of sudden deafness is unknown, but it may be related to viral infection and vascular lesions ● After active treatment, about 80% of patients can recover completely, but there are also 20% of them with poor prognosis Onset: Patients are almost always Ms. Zhang, 55, is a senior executive of a company. In the recent week, she felt very tired due to continuous night shifts and attending various meetings during the day. One morning last week, Ms. Zhang found that she could not hear anything in both ears as soon as she woke up, so she rushed to the hospital to see the emergency room and was diagnosed with sudden deafness. According to medical textbooks, sudden deafness turns out to be a disease of middle-aged and old age, with onset generally between the ages of 40 and 60. “But in recent years, we have encountered almost all young and middle-aged patients, white-collar workers, college students, high school students …… my youngest is even still in junior high school.” The latest information shows that sudden deafness has accounted for 20% to 30% of the total number of all ear diseases due to factors such as environmental pollution, work tension, increased stress in life and emotional stimulation, and is coming to office workers at an annual growth rate of 10%. In an interview with a tertiary hospital in Guangzhou, the reporter learned that three department heads of the hospital have suffered from sudden deafness in recent years, all of whom are the technical backbone of the hospital. It is understood that the most obvious feature of sudden deafness is hearing loss, “the process of decline sometimes lasts only a short time, some people a few minutes ago was good, but all of a sudden can not hear anything. Some people’s hearing loss will gradually worsen, but this process usually does not exceed 3 days.” Zhang Xiaowen said. In addition to hearing loss, symptoms of sudden deafness include tinnitus and a stuffy feeling in the ears, “which occurs in about 75 percent of patients. Some people also experience nausea and vomiting.” Etiology: related to viral infections and vascular lesions The specific cause of sudden deafness is still unclear, but from the clinical summary of cases, most people are associated with the following causes: 1. Viral infections. There are many viruses that can cause sudden deafness, the most common of which is the influenza virus. Therefore, every year when the flu season is high, the number of cases of sudden deafness patients admitted to hospitals also rises significantly. 2. Vascular lesions. Experts explain that many of the problems with a person’s hearing are related to the blood vessels deep in the inner ear canal. “There is only one blood vessel in the body that supplies blood to the hearing system, and it is one of the most distant, curved and narrowest blood vessels in the body, and there is no ‘bypass’ for this blood vessel, so if a blockage or spasm occurs, it can seriously affect hearing.” In addition, there is another reason that should not be ignored is that exertion, staying up all night and excessive stress lead to disorders in the body’s vegetative nerves, resulting in the blood vessels responsible for supplying blood to the hearing system to contract, spasm, the formation of thrombosis, so that the blood supply to the vessels is insufficient, resulting in hearing system ischemia, hypoxia, thus seriously damaging hearing. “In the young and middle-aged cases we admit, many of them have a history of fatigue and staying up late before the onset of the disease.” In addition to this, immune system diseases such as auditory neuroma, some drugs used to treat AIDS and rheumatoid arthritis may also cause sudden deafness. Treatment: 80% of patients can fully recover their hearing Zhang Xiaowen said that there is a very standardized treatment plan for sudden deafness, of which short-term, high-dose corticosteroid use is the only method that has been proven effective by evidence-based medicine. In addition to this, other medications, as well as laser, hyperbaric oxygen, acupuncture and other complementary treatments are also available. Zhang Xiaowen also emphasized that rest is the first priority and the basis of all treatment after sudden deafness occurs, and patients should also adjust their mindset and relax. In addition, if the patient also has underlying diseases such as diabetes and hypertension, the primary lesion should also be treated. It is understood that after active treatment, about 80% of patients can fully recover their hearing, but unfortunately, there are also 20% of people with poor prognosis, hearing will be damaged for life. Reminder: Hearing care for the elderly to control blood pressure Sudden deafness in young people should be taken seriously, deafness in the elderly also can not wait, do not think that hearing loss in old age is a natural phenomenon. “Many elderly people do not know that poor hearing is related to underlying diseases such as hypertension, diabetes and hyperlipidemia.” Zhang Xiaowen said the sudden deafness that occurs in some elderly people can sometimes also be a precursor to cardiovascular accidents. The incidence of senile deafness has been increasing in recent years, generally starting around the age of 40, with an incidence of up to 60 percent between the ages of 65 and 75. Zhang Xiaowen analyzed that this is closely related to the fact that the incidence of hypertension and diabetes has been high among the elderly in China in recent years. Most of the senile deafness is related to cellular aging, and the reason why hearing cells in the elderly age is mainly because of insufficient blood supply. Why does inadequate blood supply occur? This is attributed to vascular embolism and vascular spasm caused by atherosclerosis. Because it is vascular related, most age-related deafness can be treated and improved. The first step is to control blood pressure, blood sugar and blood lipids. Many clinical experts believe that for those senile deafness related to vascular factors, the hearing of 50% to 80% of the elderly can be improved significantly through thrombosis, vascularization and kidney consolidation. Tips headphones a family beware of hearing damage Zhang Xiaowen pointed out that there are many hearing problems of young people and do not pay attention to the protection related. Nowadays, the bar, disco has become part of the night life of some young people, and the biggest feature of these places is to turn on the music deafening. “You know, a person with normal hearing, if more than 100 decibels a day in the noise environment for more than an hour, hearing will be damaged.” Not only that, now many young people like to wear headphones while walking and listening to music, but if the volume is not well mastered, in the long run, is also harmful to the hearing. “Foreign experts have pointed out pointedly, MP3 players and cell phones with music playback function will ruin a generation of hearing.” Zhang Xiaowen also reminded that modern people should pay attention to the reasonable use of cell phones, “I once saw a woman who runs a restaurant, recently often appear earache, so far have not identified the cause, but according to her own words, she has to use the phone to answer more than a hundred calls every day, whether there is a relationship between the two, it is worth drawing attention to.”