Mild hearing loss heals quickly enough. But if you miss the time, then the disease begins to progress and then hearing loss of the 2nd degree is already diagnosed. It not only requires longer and more serious treatment, but also causes certain inconveniences in everyday life. But at this stage, the disease can still be cured completely, if it is not caused by genetic causes or is not a consequence of an ear injury.
Diagnosis and symptoms
Most often, people turn to a doctor precisely at the second stage of the disease, since hearing loss is already very noticeable even from the outside and is no longer in doubt. Degree 2 hearing loss is characterized by the following symptoms:
- a person ceases to hear a whisper, even at close range;
- it becomes difficult to distinguish spoken speech at a distance of more than 3 meters;
- individual sounds, especially hissing sounds, are subtle;
- it is difficult to watch TV programs at normal volume;
- sometimes phone calls are missed because the person cannot hear them.
When conducting an audiogram, the doctor detects a decrease in the auditory threshold from 40 to 55 dB, and also, with the help of additional studies, determines the type of disease: conductive or sensorineural hearing loss of the 2nd degree.
Conductive hearing loss of the 2nd degree occurs when the middle ear is damaged for any reason. The most common cause is acute or chronic otitis media, in which fluid and / or pus accumulates behind the eardrum. As a result, the normal conductivity of sound is disrupted, and the person loses the ability to hear well.
Grade 2 bilateral sensorineural hearing loss usually has genetic causes. Unilateral - often acquired. It develops when the cochlea located in the inner ear is damaged, less often when blood circulation is disturbed as a result of the development of a tumor or conduction of nerve impulses.
How to treat hearing loss of the 2nd degree, only the doctor decides in each case. Self-righteousness can only worsen the situation and complicate the course of the disease. In some cases, drug treatment does not help, then you have to resort to surgery or implantation of a hearing aid.
Treatment methods
It depends on how correctly the causes and type of the disease are identified whether it is possible to cure grade 2 hearing loss and fully restore hearing. With congenital underdevelopment of the hearing aid, only surgery can help. The operation should be done only after the ear is fully formed, at the age of 16-18. Until that time, the hearing loss is compensated for by a hearing aid if necessary.
If grade 2 sensorineural hearing loss is detected, treatment at the first stage is most often carried out in a hospital. Usually, a course of antibiotics is prescribed to relieve inflammation and kill viruses and infections. In parallel, physiotherapeutic treatment is used: ultrasound, electrophoresis, acupuncture therapy.
It is equally important to adhere to a diet, a healthy lifestyle, and quitting alcohol and smoking. After stopping the disease, further treatment is carried out on an outpatient basis, with strict adherence to the doctor's prescriptions.
When conductive hearing loss of the 2nd degree is diagnosed, the treatment in most cases is not only medication. More or less complex operations are often required to repair the eardrum or small ear bones. Therefore, patients are admitted to the hospital. After the operation, the question of the need and possibility of hearing aids is decided.
For preschool children, the treatment of grade 2 hearing loss should be carried out in parallel with classes with a speech therapist. This is extremely necessary for the correct formation of speech in a child, since hearing loss entails a violation of articulation. If the formation of the speech apparatus is not purposefully dealt with, then even with full restoration of hearing, the child will not be able to speak clearly.
Prevention methods
The best prevention of hearing loss is a healthy lifestyle. The most common cause of acquired hearing loss is pathogenic microorganisms. Diseases transmitted through blood or sexually can cause a sharp decrease in hearing. Therefore, alcoholics, drug addicts and persons with promiscuous sexual intercourse are at risk.
Negatively affects hearing and constant noise. People working in noisy industries should use earplugs or headphones. And in everyday life, it is better to try to avoid sounds that are too loud: do not listen to music through headphones, do not turn on the TV very loudly.
When planning a pregnancy, it is better to pass genetic tests, and during gestation, avoid taking medications. It is especially important to monitor the development of a child in the first year of his life in order to timely identify hearing pathologies. With early diagnosis, the likelihood of a complete cure is high.
You can not start and various diseases, at first glance, have nothing to do with the ears. Hearing loss can be caused by:
- untreated SARS or flu;
- atherosclerosis and otosclerosis;
- oncological diseases;
- hypertension 2-3 degrees;
- neuritis of the auditory nerve.
Do not forget that traditional methods of treatment are effective only as part of complex therapy. And even in this case, their use must be agreed with the doctor.
For each type of disease, depending on its cause, its own complex of treatment is prescribed. And those folk remedies that help in one case, in another, can only accelerate the progression of hearing loss.
