Hearing Loss In Adults

Plasticity of the auditory nervous system manifests in many forms and can be compensatory and harmful.  Studies of mice indicate that appropriate sound stimulation can slow the progression of age-related hearing loss (ARHL).  Like untreated hearing loss in early childhood, prolonged hearing loss in adults is not reversible. 

Despite the rising concern on the negative effect of hearing loss, over 63 percent of adults aged 70 years and older in the U.S. population has a hearing problem using the definition of hearing loss (>20 dB) by the World Health Organization (WHO), according to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication disorders (NIDCD). Furthermore, only fewer than 30 percent of those who could benefit from hearing aids has ever used them. That means 70 percent ( two out of three) are neglecting something that is crucial towards their overall health.