Age-related deafness is a symmetrical, slowly progressive sensorineural hearing loss in both ears due to aging and degeneration of the auditory organs as a result of aging. It is a physiological aging process.
The prevalence of senile deafness is high, with the United States reporting 30%-40%; domestic reporting data varies, ranging from about 35.1%-76.6%. With the rapid growth trend of elderly population in China, senile deafness will seriously affect the quality of life of the elderly.
There is no clear definition of the age of senile deafness, and the first step is to clarify the age of entering old age. In ancient times, human life expectancy was shorter and deafness appeared earlier. At present, due to the gradual increase in the age of aging and the obvious individual differences in the age of aging of human hearing organs, it is not uncommon to see people in their 80s who are deaf and deaf-blind. Therefore, here we are referring specifically to deafness due to aging.
For the investigation of senile deafness, it is mostly counted from the age of 65 in foreign countries and from 60 in China. Some data show that there is a gender difference in the rate of hearing loss, and the average annual increase in hearing threshold is 1 dB for men and 0.7 dB for women over the age of 60. Some surveys show that the prevalence of deafness is 76.6% in the Beijing population aged 65-89 years, and 92.79% in the age group of 80-89 years. However, some surveys have also found that hearing loss gradually decreases with age in people over 40 years of age.
The main clinical manifestations of senile deafness are.
1. unexplained symmetrical, slowly progressive hearing loss in both ears.
2. difficulty with verbal interaction.
3. Phonemic decay.
Hearing loss brings many hazards to the life of elderly people, such as inconvenience, security risks and psychological barriers.
In the prevention and treatment of senile deafness, prevention is more important than treatment. The following points should be noted in daily life.
1.Rational nutrition
(1) Eat more iron-rich foods.
Iron deficiency tends to harden red blood cells, reduces the ability to transport oxygen, and inadequate supply of nutrients to the ear, which can impair the function of auditory cells.
Iron-rich foods include: purple cabbage, shrimp skin, jellyfish skin, black sesame, yellow cauliflower, black fungus, amaranth, parsley, wood ear vegetable, soy products, etc.
(2) More zinc-rich foods
Zinc is involved in the synthesis of nucleic acids and proteins, and is related to the metabolism of carbohydrates and vitamin A, etc. Studies show that 1/3 of the elderly with tinnitus and deafness have varying degrees of zinc deficiency.
Foods rich in zinc include: oysters, animal liver, coarse grains, dried beans, nuts, eggs, meat and fish, etc.
(3) Eat more vegetables and hard and dry fruits rich in vitamin C and E
Vitamin C, E can improve the role of superoxide dismutase, improve the body’s utilization of oxygen, improve peripheral blood flow, and play a protective role for the inner ear.
Fresh green leafy vegetables contain more vitamin C, black sesame, vegetable oil, walnuts, peanuts, etc. contain more vitamin E.
(4) Appropriate intake of foods containing more vitamin D
Most people with senile deafness have symptoms of low blood calcium, which is related to the lack of vitamin D. Vitamin D can promote the absorption and utilization of calcium in the body.
Foods containing vitamin D include animal liver, eggs, mushrooms and silver fungus.
(5) Eat more food with blood activation effect
Dilate blood vessels and improve blood viscosity, which helps to maintain normal microcirculation of small blood vessels in the ear.
Foods with blood-boosting effects include: black fungus, leek, red wine, yellow wine, etc.
In addition, we should pay attention to eating less food that is too sweet, too salty, contains too much cholesterol and too little fiber to prevent the progress of tinnitus and deafness caused by inner ear vascular lesions due to hypertension, arteriosclerosis and diabetes.
2. Stay away from noise: High frequency damage is not easy to detect and can only be prevented and protected.
Wear headphones “60 principle”: when listening to music, the volume should not exceed 60% of the maximum volume, do not exceed 60 minutes of continuous listening time, the best external sound does not exceed 60dB, nightclub music for 100dB, can only listen to 15 minutes, more than then damage hearing.
3, keep a happy mood.
4, exercise, avoid smoking and alcohol.
5, regular medical check-ups, monitoring blood pressure, blood lipids, blood sugar, etc.