Published Chicago Tribune March 21, 2001 |
HEARING LOSS HITS SOME AT YOUNG AGE DOCTORS SEEING MORE PATIENTS IN THEIR 40's AND 50's BY CLAIRE ALTSCHULER Cathy Gurvis couldn't hear. "I kept saying `What?'" she says. "And I was noticing in social situations that . . . I was missing things." When Gurvis, a legal secretary from Chicago, also began to have trouble hearing her boss, she decided to do something about it. Two years after her symptoms began, at the age of 45, Gurvis bought her first hearing aids. Like many Baby Boomers (the generation born between 1946 and 1964) Gurvis doesn't hear as well as she used to. According to the National Institutes of Health's "Healthy People 2010" report, Americans are losing their hearing at younger ages. And a 1997 Alameda County study found that the prevalence of hearing impairment in middle-age Californians nearly doubled from 1965 to 1994. Doctors and audiologists also report an increased number of Baby Boomer patients. "I've noticed more middle-aged people complaining of hearing loss," says Dr. Melissa McBrien, an otolaryngologist from Birmingham, Mich. Jeanne Perkins, director of clinical audiology at the University of Chicago Hospitals, has noticed an increase too. "I'd say we're seeing probably 20 to 30 percent more patients . . . who are in their 40s and 50s," she says. According to the "Healthy People 2010" report, "Vision and hearing are defining elements of the quality of life." Because hearing loss tends to begin in the higher sound frequencies that are associated with speech, it makes conversation difficult, and people with a hearing impairment often avoid socializing. When Marion Hardman, 57, of Merrillville, Ind., began losing her hearing nine years ago, she says it was frustrating talking to others. "People are nice about it, but you always have to ask [them] to repeat themselves," she says. Gail Lee, 44, of Chicago, says asking people to repeat themselves so much made her uncomfortable. "People tend to think you're not paying attention to them and then they ignore you because they think you're ignoring them," she says. Hearing loss can also interfere with work. Dr. James Tonsgard, 54, a pediatric neurologist and professor at the University of Chicago Medical School, says his hearing loss made it difficult for him to hear speakers at medical conferences. "For the last three to five years, I really wasn't hearing everything that was said." Though his hearing loss never affected his medical practice, he didn't like asking his medical students to repeat themselves. "If you ask a student to repeat what they say, they sometimes get intimidated and . . . think they've said the wrong thing." Many experts attribute the increased hearing loss in middle-age people to acoustic trauma, excessive exposure to loud noises (usually more than 85 decibels) that can destroy the delicate structures of the inner ear that transmit sounds to the brain. Attending rock concerts, sporting events or listening to a loud stereo for long periods of time can cause permanent hearing loss. The hearing loss usually happens gradually, often over several years, with repeated exposure to loud noise. Our increasingly noisy environment also may contribute to hearing loss. "There's no doubt that we are exposed to more noise in our society," says Sandra Gordon-Salant, a professor of Hearing and Speech Sciences at the University of Maryland in Baltimore. Such common things as subway cars, police sirens, lawnmowers and power tools often can be loud enough to cause damage. Some occupations, such as construction work, are also hazardous. "There are still lots of places in industry [and] the construction trades where people . . . are exposed over long periods of time to very loud noise," says Howard Hoffman, chief of epidemiology at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md. According to the NIH, about 30 million Americans are exposed to potentially harmful sound levels everyday, many of them at work. And a recent article in American Family Physician says noise is "the most common occupational and environmental hazard" in this country. Much as the youth-worshiping Baby Boom generation may hate to admit it, some hearing loss may also be due to old age. According to Edward L. Applebaum, a professor and chairman of the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at Northwestern Medical School in Chicago, our ears start to age when we are very young. "Thanks to modern times, with better housing, better food and better medical care, people live longer [than they used to]. But . . . we're getting older biologically almost from the day we are born. And so, when you're in your 40s or 50s, your inner ears, in many cases, are starting to [age] too," he says. True to their culture, Baby Boomers are not just accepting hearing loss. "I've always been very proactive about my health," says Gurvis. Jeanne Perkins, the audiologist, has noticed that her middle-age patients tend to be very determined about correcting a hearing impairment. "They have more of a take-charge attitude in that `I have a hearing loss and I'm going to do something about it,'" she says. Some Baby Boomers also have been influenced by middle-age public figures, like former President Clinton, who have recently purchased hearing aids. "That was really quite a big deal," says McBrien. "After Clinton got the hearing aids, I did notice an increased number of [middle-age] people saying they thought they had a problem . . . and they were willing to wear a hearing aid." Although hearing loss can't be cured, hearing aids can help patients hear speech and other sounds better. And the technology has improved dramatically in recent years. The new devices "are smaller, they're more cosmetic--and they work better," says McBrien. Unlike older hearing aids which amplified sound within a very small range (usually only high, medium and low), the new hearing aids are digital and can be programmed to amplify sound frequencies with much greater precision. Some even can be programmed with different settings for quiet and noisy environments or for listening on the phone. Hearing aids are also less noticeable. Some, called CICs (for Completely-in-Canal), fit comfortably inside the ear canal and can't be seen by others. Rhonda Bittner says she loves her new, digital hearing aids. Her old ones forced her "to focus so hard . . . it was exhausting for me to have a conversation," she says. But with the new hearing aids, "It's all much more natural." (Digital aids cost between $1,600 and $3,000. Many insurance companies don't cover hearing aids.) Disposable hearing aids are another option for those with mild to moderate hearing loss. (Disposables cost about $39 and can be worn for approximately 40 days.) They're especially good for those who aren't sure if a hearing aid is right for them. "It's alluring because it's not a huge monetary commitment. People think, I can try this and if it doesn't work . . . it's only $39, as opposed to . . . $3,000," says Ronna Fisher, an audiologist and president of Hearing Health Center, which has offices in Chicago, Naperville and Oak Brook Terrace. All hearing aids have limitations. They will not restore normal hearing, but they do improve most patients' ability to participate in social settings and hear sounds they've been missing. Says Gail Lee, a Chicago homemaker, mother of five and grandmother of four, "To hear my granddaughter's voice, to hear the telephone ring, to know when somebody's at the door. . . it's very nice." Hearing loss from noise exposure is preventable. Doctors and audiologists recommend earplugs for those who attend loud concerts or sporting events. (Earplugs can be bought without a prescription at most drugstores.) They also caution against turning personal stereos up higher and higher. "If you find that you're having to crank it up more and more, you're probably just becoming accustomed and you should . . . take it off for awhile and let your ears reset, or establish a [volume] . . . and draw a little line on the dial and don't go past that level," she says. Health clubs are notorious for playing music too loudly, potentially harming the hearing of both members and instructors. "We probably have a lot of instructors who have some hearing loss," says Nancy Burrows, director of exercise programs at the East Bank Club in Chicago. Two years ago, in an effort to protect the hearing of its members and staff, the club installed sound meters in all of its exercise studios. Whenever the sound exceeds 85 decibels, the meter lights up, alerting the instructor. In addition, Burrows and the general manager have sound meters in their offices so they can tell if the sound is too loud. Members of health clubs should ask what their club is doing to protect their hearing. If it's not enough, they may want to avoid classes with loud music or wear earplugs. Getting an evaluation by an audiologist or otolaryngologist may also help prevent further hearing loss. According to Fisher, for patients whose hearing loss is caused by excessive noise, testing can sometimes make them aware of behaviors that may be contributing to their impairment. (Gurvis discovered that a telephone headset she was using at work was exacerbating her hearing loss.) "We really need to take a proactive approach and try to determine what's causing [the hearing loss] then see what we can do to prevent any further deterioration," says Fisher. Sometimes hearing loss can't be prevented. Like almost everything else about our health, genetics plays a role in hearing too. "If your parents lost their hearing when they got older, there's a very good chance that you will also," say Dr. Applebaum of Northwestern. Although there's not much we can do yet about our genes, "you can control your noise exposure," he says. To preserve your hearing, he recommends "taking good general care of yourself and avoiding noise exposure." SIGNS OF TROUBLE |