The Aging Ear: Can You Hear Me Now?

The Forgotten Organ

Hey again Everyone,

During a recent work meeting, we veered off-topic to chatter about how humans experience the world by use of our 5 Senses (sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch). It dominated a chunk of the meeting actually, and got me thinking of how phenomenal our bodies are! 

Each sense involuntarily gathers information from our environment and sends signals to our brain. So, in this blog, we'll muse about our beloved and often disregarded ears. 

Our Ears

Simply put, the ears work by detecting and capturing sound waves then transmitting them to the brain. The brain finalizes the process by interpreting those sound waves into meaningful messages, sounds, music etc. 

Still, our ears contribute more to our everyday lives than we credit. 

Not only are they responsible for slick eavesdropping, but those cute little (or massive protruding) pieces of flesh have a direct correlation to us keeping our balance. Now, did you know that??

Inside our inner ears are tiny loops filled with water and tiny hairs called the semicircular canals. When we move our heads, the water in these loops moves around and tickles the little hairs. These hairs then tell our brains that we're moving. 

Balance is maintained through sensory input from the vestibular system, which includes the structures in the inner ear responsible for detecting motion, orientation, and spatial awareness. 

The vestibular system helps us maintain postural stability, perceive our body's position in space, and coordinate movements.

On the flip side, dysfunction in the inner ear, such as inner ear infections or vestibular disorders, can affect both hearing and balance.

The Aging Ears: Age-Related Hearing Loss👂

Hearing impairment or loss is one of the most common conditions affecting adults as we age. About 1 in 3 people in the U.S between 65-74 has some hearing loss and nearly half of those older than 75 have difficulty hearing.

Presbycusis

Presbycusis is progressive hearing loss due to the normal aging process. This is the most common type of hearing loss in older people. Both men and women are affected, however men are typically more impaired than women. Adults with presbycusis have a hard time with high frequencies, and it's difficult for them to hear consonant sounds, so all letters in the alphabet other than A, E, I, O, U are challenging to make out.

Consider the question below:

"Do you want to go to the store?" 

with all the consonants removed 

that sentence sounds more like... "O U A O O O?" to persons living with presbycusis.😳

Aging also changes the structure and function of the ear, including:

-Outer Ear-

● The skin of the auricle becomes dry, and wrinkles begin to appear in the skin.
● Persons complain of "itchy" ears due to dryness in the external auditory canal.
● The hairs on the side of the external ear canal become larger, coarser, and more noticeable in the 30s and 40s.

**Most of the outer ear changes are cosmetic and usually have little impact on hearing. The inner ear is a different story.

-Inner Ear-

● Most aging changes occur in the inner ear and affect sensitivity to sound, ability to
understand speech, and ability to maintain sense of balance.
● Degeneration of bony joints occurs in the middle ear, but this change does not affect
sound transmission.
● The eardrum may thicken and have some scarring from prior infection or injury.

**Vestibular problems in the inner ear can cause a false sensation of motion, a feeling of floating or a heavy head, and unsteadiness in the dark.

What About The Rest of Us?👀👂

Approximately 15% of Americans 18 and over report some trouble hearing, however it's not always related to aging. 

As a matter of fact, although hearing loss is commonly attributed to old age, evidence indicates that several other conditions can affect our hearing, like infections, earwax buildup, injuries, pressure change, and even noise. 

Taking proper care of your ears can help ensure those eavesdroppers are kept healthy.

• Keep your ears dry by wearing ear plugs when swimming
• Reconsider using cotton swabs to clean your ear canal
• Wear protective equipment when playing contact sports
• Turn the volume down when listening to music through headphones
• Wear ear plugs or earmuffs if you’re around loud noises
• Visit your healthcare provider for routine ear examinations

Common Ear Conditions and Dysfunctions

-Cerumen Blockage-

Cerumen is the medical term for ear wax. It is a substance secreted by glands of the outer ear canal. Ear wax may block the ear canal, and can cause itching, a temporary loss of hearing, or a sense of fullness in the ear. As we age though, the wax becomes thicker and the accumulation of this thickened cerumen in the ear canal impairs hearing. A person with this blockage must be seen by a physician.

-Vertigo-

Vertigo is a sudden internal or external sensation of spinning or dizziness. A person with vertigo may complain of light-headedness or a sense of loss of balance. Nausea and vomiting may accompany the dizziness. Diagnosis of the cause is often very difficult. The source of the problem can be due to ear problems, heart problems, neurologic problems, and/or combinations of all listed.

-Tinnitus-

Tinnitus is a buzzing, hissing, whistling, or ringing noise in the ear. This sound may be periodic or occur constantly and can occur in one or both ears. As you can imagine, it interferes with concentration, hearing, falling asleep, and so forth. The sound is usually heard only by the person suffering tinnitus. Several diseases, tumors, and injuries may cause tinnitus. Something as simple as an ear infection may cause symptoms. Other causes may be blockage of the ear canal, Meniere's Disease, or even high blood pressure. Sadly, treatment therapy for tinnitus is limited.

-Meniere's Disease-

When vertigo, tinnitus, and hearing loss all occur together, the diagnosis of Meniere's Disease is often made. Sudden attacks of nausea, vomiting, and dizziness are among the common symptoms, which may last from 3 to 24 hours. There's an increase of fluid in the inner portion of the ear, which we discussed earlier, controls balance. Therefore, a lack of equilibrium or sense of balance is a common occurrence. This disease usually pops up in middle age and continues into old age and is irreversible and progressive. However, as the person ages, attacks become less common. The cause of this disease is unknown.

Symptoms of Hearing Impairment to BOLO:

• Ear ringing or pain
• Ear infections or unusual growths
• Clogged ears
• Muffled hearing
• Itchy ears (although I've heard THIS means someone is talking about you)
• Inability to hear letters that aren't vowels
• A feeling of fullness in your ears.
• Ear drainage.

Listen, don't play around with your hearing. 

As we've discussed, our ears are pretty essential to our wellbeing. So if you're experiencing the aforementioned symptoms, schedule an appointment with your healthcare provider right away. 

They can help you find the cause of your problem and recommend appropriate treatment.

"Can you hear me now? Good!"

EM

REFERENCES:

Ear: Anatomy, Facts & Function (clevelandclinic.org)

Hearing loss - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic

Age-Related Hearing Loss (Presbycusis) (nih.gov)

National Library of Medicine. Ear Disorders (https://medlineplus.gov/eardisorders.html).