U.S. facing possible hearing loss epidemic

// added July 29, 2008 // 17 comments //
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CHICAGO, July 28 (Reuters) - One of three U.S. adults already suffers from some degree of hearing loss and the use of personal stereos and an aging population may create a hearing impairment epidemic, researchers said on Monday.

A team at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore estimated that 55 million Americans have hearing loss in one or both ears, with men, whites and the least-educated most affected.

One out of six, or 29 million adults, have some trouble discerning speech, more than previous estimates, they reported in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

"The prevalence of hearing loss in the United States is predicted to rise significantly because of an aging population and the growing use of personal listening devices. Indeed, there is concern that we may be facing an epidemic of hearing impairment," Dr. Yuri Agrawal of the Baltimore hospital wrote.

It is common for people to ignore or disavow hearing loss, the researchers said, leading to difficulty communicating that can result in productivity problems at work, depression, and less access to health care that ultimately raises the risk of sickness and death.

Hearing loss is common among people 70 and older, according to the report. But hearing loss also affected 8.5 percent of those in their 20s and 17 percent of people in their 30s. Exposure to workplace noise, firearms, and loud music were all risk factors.

Read the whole story here;

http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSN28498722

(Reporting by Andrew Stern; Editing by Maggie Fox and Eric Walsh)
  1. groups:
    Green,   Earth and Science,   Health
  2. tags:
    Green,  Earth and Science,  Health,  Current Radio News,  7 more

17 comments // U.S. facing possible hearing loss epidemic

  • MrBigShot21
  • Dmitri_Molotov
  • jmichael2497
    • 0
      jmichael2497  

    • Maybe there will be a boom in learning sign language.

      and I would suggest fixing the post to.replace the link so it points to the reuters source instead of back to its own current page.

    • 1 year ago
  • stopnoise
  • jmichael2497
    • 0
      jmichael2497  
    • jmichael2497:

      Yes, I saw the link in the body of the text, but if you did not notice, the proper link location at the top of the page which is supposed to be a link to the source, for some reason is pointing to its current.com page link, not the reuters link. Thats what I was referring to.

      It took me a little while to figure out how to post, too, just hit edit and past the reuters link in the first box that says url. The description box shouldn't really be a copy and paste of the source article. And after entering the reuters url in the correct box, theres a media button on the side to pick the picture.

    • 1 year ago
  • themanwithadog
  • iknew
  • stopnoise
  • ProgressiveBum
  • gentjim
    • 0
      gentjim  

    • the diffrenc is, we need know better,we are the ones who need to make the changes to make our childrens lives better, now .....!!!!

      stop by and chat,

      gent jim

    • 1 year ago
  • mjsmith11
  • bluestranger
    • 0
      bluestranger  
    • mjsmith11:

      That wasn't what prompted my question to you. You seem to be in support of extremely loud noises. I was simply saying, if your children are exposed to this, have you ever thought they might suffer hearing damage. And yes, most children that are hearing impaired are heartbreakingly quiet.

    • 1 year ago
  • stopnoise
    • 0
      stopnoise  
    • mjsmith11:

      mjsmith11, your profile screen photo seems to be a little bit misleading now as if you would care about your children's health you would protect them from loud noises as they are the most affected ones and that damage it is not reversible. What about traffic noise where many are sleep deprived and their health has been diminish in result to that. Since I know a little bit better than you in the subject, here are some things you should understand about loud noises, 1. Noise it is an invasive energy;
      2. Noise affects health; 3. Those that use noise are the ones holding others captive of their actions;
      4. Society is not composed of you alone.

    • 1 year ago
  • mjsmith11
    • 0
      mjsmith11  
    • mjsmith11:

      I never said that I didn't. I also care about my health as well. Noise is very therapeutical. I never expose my children to loud noise. I also never curse around my kids either.

    • 1 year ago
  • bluestranger
  • mjsmith11
    • 0
      mjsmith11  

    • I appreciate loud noises. I get excited when I see lightening flash because I know a loud thunder clap is only seconds away. I get disappointed if the thunder is not very loud though. My one wish is to be able to go back in time and attend the loudest rock concert ever - The Who, at 126 decibels, measured at a distance of 32 metres from the speakers at a concert at Charlton Athletic Football Ground on 1976-05-31. My baby cries loud my 4 year old talks and sings loud. The sound of construction trucks is music to my ears. One of the best all time scenes in a film is in the movie "High Anxiety" when Dr. Richard Thorndyke, played by Mel Brooks, is trapped inside of a car and forced to listen to loud music until blood comes out of his ears. Very Hitchcock. I have excellent hearing. I love listening classical symphonies as much as I do listening to fusion jazz. One thing I miss doing is grabbing a pair of bongos or a djembe and sitting in a large drum circle. In Washington D.C. Go-Go is very popular. I enjoy Go-Go because it involves heavy drums and percussion. Power and volume are amazing. A quiet world is a dull world.

    • 1 year ago
  • petarro

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