Your children's hearing health is important

More than 12% of the children between ages of 6 and 19 already have hearing damage from loud noises. Your child's hearing health is crucial during their overall well-being and development. Hearing loss is increasingly common among children, teens, and young adults.

HOW OUR EARS WORK

1. Outer ear: sound waves enter the outer ear and travel through the ear canal.

2. Middle ear: the sound waves hit the eardrum, causing it to vibrate. These vibrations are transferred to the malleus, incus and stapes.

3. Inner ear: the vibrations hit the cochlea and it creates electrical signals.

4. Brain processing: the auditory nerve carries them to the brain, interpreting them as a sound.

MEASURING SOUND

Sound is measured in decibels (dB). Sounds at or below 70 dB are generally considered safe. Any sound over 85 dB poses a risk of damaging your hearing over time.

A normal conversation is usually between 60 and 70 dB. Music by headphones at maximum can reach to 94 to 110 dB.

CAUSES OF CHILDHOOD HEARING LOSS

Acquired hearing loss has a lot of preventable causes, like exposure to loud noises, chronic ear infections and other illnesses or injuries.

Noise-induced hearing loss. It's a hearing impairment caused by exposure to loud sounds. NIHL is entirely preventable, but once it occurs the damage is permanent and irreversible. This illness can accumulate during time, especially with constant exposure to loud noises.

Ear infections. Chronic ear infections (otitis media) can be a significant factor for hearing loss among children. These infections often accumulate fluid in the middle ear, causing temporary hearing impairment. The fluid can damage the eardrum and the small bones in the ear, leading to permanent hearing loss.

Other causes: prenatal infections, childhood illnesses (meningitis, varicella...), untreated swimmer's ear, ototoxic substances, injury...

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