This week, Bobbi Conner talks with Dr. Peter Dixon about the impact of hearing loss on quality of life and overall health. Dr. Dixon is a research scientist and ear nose and throat doctor specializing in hearing, and ear surgery at MUSC Health.
TRANSCRIPT:
Conner: I'm Bobbi Conner for South Carolina Public Radio with Health Focus here at the radio studio for the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. Hearing loss is often an easily treatable problem that can have a big impact on quality of life. Doctor Peter Dixon is here to talk about the details. Doctor Dixon is a research scientist, and he's an ear, nose and throat doctor specializing in hearing and ear surgery at MUSC Health. Doctor Dixon, how common is hearing loss in the US, especially among older adults?
Dr. Dixon: Hearing loss is incredibly common. It really affects about 2 to 3 out of every 1000 children in the US, and about 15% of American adults, and it becomes much more common as folks get older.
Conner: When someone lives with a hearing loss over many months or years, especially in the older adult years, what's the potential impact to their overall health.
Dr. Dixon: Well, we're learning a lot more about this in recent years. Certainly, we know that it affects people's ability to communicate and their quality of life. It impacts their social networks and their willingness and ability to engage socially. And we're learning a little bit more about its impact on cognitive decline, potentially, as well as other adverse outcomes in older adulthood like frailty and falls.
Conner: Why are some people with hearing loss hesitant to get a hearing test or to seek help?
Dr. Dixon: I think it varies a lot. I mean, in part, there's maybe a bit of an age-related stigma of hearing loss treatment, in particular hearing aids. So, people don't want to be seen as being older. Other people just don't realize just how significant the impact of their hearing loss might be on their current health.
Conner: And the first step for addressing a suspected hearing loss is seeing an audiologist. Just explain the whole process about diagnosing and then treatment options for hearing loss.
Dr. Dixon: Once you see an audiologist or a hearing specialist of any kind and you get a formal hearing test. You'll typically have that test reviewed with one of the providers who provides hearing care, whether that's an otolaryngologist or the audiologist themselves will review the hearing results, and where you stand and where we expect that you might have hearing difficulties. Of course, we kind of correlate the results that you have on those formal tests with questions about how you feel you are doing, you know, on a personal level with your hearing, because that's a really important component of treating hearing loss and who the right people to treat for hearing loss are. And then treatment options really just depend on the severity and cause of the hearing loss. You know, for some people we identify a problem that's surgically correctable. And with a relatively simple surgery, sometimes we're able to help restore people's hearing and obviate the need for hearing aids. For other folks, hearing aids are the best option. And for others still, there are implantable devices that can help restore hearing, and particularly for those who are not benefiting from hearing aids.
Conner: And Doctor Dixon, knowing that the majority of people with hearing loss probably would have a hearing aid as treatment, how much of a difference might that hearing aid make?
Dr. Dixon: Just like many things in medicine, the answer is it depends. For folks who are the right candidates for hearing aids, they can make a pretty dramatic difference. Most places that sell or dispense hearing aids sort of offer a free trial period, which is usually around 60 days. You know, really the only way to know for sure is to try them.
Conner: Doctor Dixon, thanks for talking with us about hearing loss.
Dr. Dixon: Thanks so much for having me.
Conner: From the radio studio, for the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, I'm Bobbi Conner for South Carolina Public Radio.
Health Focus transcripts are intended to accurately represent the original audio version of the program; however, some discrepancies or inaccuracies may exist. The audio format serves as the official record of Health Focus programming.
