Many parents may think that hearing impairment occurs primarily in older people, and that teenagers are typically healthy and active. However, the reality is that hearing impairment can also occur during adolescence, for a variety of reasons.
What is Hearing impairment in adolescents
Adolescent hearing impairment refers to hearing loss or impairment that occurs in adolescents (generally those between the ages of 13 and 19). It can be caused by a variety of factors, including genetics, ear infections, noise exposure, medication side effects, trauma, and more. Hearing impairment can affect a young person's language, learning and social skills and therefore requires prompt identification and treatment.
Common types of hearing impairment in adolescents include:
Conductive hearing impairment:
Sound transmission is usually blocked due to a lesion in the ear canal, eardrum, or middle ear. Common causes include otitis media, blocked ear canals (such as earwax), and perforated eardrums.
Sensorineural hearing impairment:
Caused by problems with the inner ear or auditory nerve, it often leads to permanent hearing loss. Common causes include noise exposure, drug toxicity (such as certain antibiotics or chemotherapy drugs), and genetic disorders.
Mixed hearing impairment:
There are both conduction and sensorineural problems, which are often complex, and treatment needs to address both problems.
Noise exposure:
Listening to music, playing video games, attending concerts and other activities may expose teenagers to high noise levels for a long time, leading to hearing loss.
Ear Infections:
Frequent ear infections, especially otitis media, can affect hearing.
How to detect hearing impairment in adolescents?
It is often difficult for teenagers to actively reflect whether they have hearing problems, so parents need to pay more attention to their children's daily performance. Here are some possible signs that a child may have a hearing problem:
Asking people to repeat themselves frequently:
If the child often cannot hear others clearly, or needs to be repeated several times, it may be a signal of hearing problems.
Difficulty hearing in noisy environments: Is the child having trouble hearing conversations in noisy environments, or showing obvious impatience?
Turn up the volume on social media entertainment:
If your child regularly turns up the volume on the TV or stereo, it could be a sign that they are having trouble listening.
Showing lack of attention or distraction:
Sometimes children appear distracted at school or at home, or lack a response to sounds, which may also be related to hearing.
How to prevent and deal with youth hearing impairment?
Reduce noise exposure:
Parents should encourage their children to avoid staying in a high noise environment for a long time, especially when wearing headphones for a long time, the volume should not exceed the safe range. It is generally recommended to keep the volume below 60% of the maximum volume and limit the time of continuous use of the headset.
Timely treatment of ear infections:
If your child has earache, tinnitus and other symptoms, you should seek medical attention as soon as possible to avoid long-term hearing loss caused by ear infections.
Get regular hearing checks:
For children with a family history or adolescents with other potential risk factors, regular hearing screening is recommended to ensure that problems are detected in a timely manner.
To raise parental concern:
Parents should pay attention to observe their children's hearing status, if the child has the above symptoms, they should seek medical attention as soon as possible to avoid hearing problems affecting their study and life.
Although hearing impairment in adolescents is not common, when it occurs, it can have an important impact on the child's growth and life. As parents, we need to be vigilant and pay attention to our children's hearing health, help them stay away from noise damage, promptly treat ear infections, and conduct regular hearing screening if necessary. Through these measures, we can not only protect children's hearing health, but also help them communicate and develop better in their future study and life.