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Hearing loss & presbycusis

Hypacusis (presbyacusis) · Nedoslýchavost a stařecká nedoslýchavost

What it is

Hair cells die with age and noise; they do not grow back.

Symptoms & signs

  • Difficulty in background noise
  • turning up the volume
  • asking for repetition
  • tinnitus
  • social withdrawal
  • linked to dementia risk

🚩 Get help if…

  • see a doctor soon Sudden hearing loss over hours to 3 days
  • see a doctor soon Hearing loss in one ear only, or with ringing or dizziness
  • see a doctor soon Ear pain, discharge or bleeding with the hearing loss
  • see a doctor soon Face weakness or numbness with the hearing loss

Where it strikes

Medical treatment

  • Hearing aids (now over the counter for mild-moderate)
  • cochlear implants for severe loss
  • assistive listening devices
  • treat wax and middle-ear disease

Natural & lifestyle

  • Hearing protection at over 85 dB
  • volume limits on headphones
  • treat cardiovascular risk
  • hearing aids — slowed cognitive decline only in a higher-risk group in the ACHIEVE trial, not overall mixed evidence

Emerging & experimental

  • OTOF gene therapy (restored hearing in children with this rare inherited deafness)
  • hair-cell regeneration
  • Notch-pathway drugs
  • smart adaptive hearing aids

Alternative, off-label & anecdotal

Approaches used outside the guidelines, with what their supporters report and what testing has found so far.

  • Antioxidants and magnesium to protect against noise damage — small studies early / small studies
  • Ginkgo biloba for sudden hearing loss — trials disagree mixed evidence
  • Ear candling — burns and blockages; no benefit not confirmed in trials

ICD codes