topic Re: Is hearing loss hereditary? in Wellness

Is hearing loss hereditary?

janneljannel11 — Thu, 02 Jul 2015 05:07:24 GMT

Hi all,

I am starting this thread in order to clear my anxiety about hear loss. My grandfather had hearing impairment since his 40’s. He had suffered a lot at his last time due to this problem. Now, My father is facing the same problem, he had lost the hearing capacity of his left ear and using effective digital hearing aids from Toronto. He can’t hear anything without the help of his hearing aids. I wonder whether it is hereditary? Do I need any hearing evaluations? I’m so scared.

Re: Is hearing loss hereditary?

hckynutjohn — Thu, 02 Jul 2015 05:53:43 GMT

@janneljannel11 wrote:
Hi all,
I am starting this thread in order to clear my anxiety about hear loss. My grandfather had hearing impairment since his 40’s. He had suffered a lot at his last time due to this problem. Now, My father is facing the same problem, he had lost the hearing capacity of his left ear and using effective digital hearing aids from Toronto. He can’t hear anything without the help of his hearing aids. I wonder whether it is hereditary? Do I need any hearing evaluations? I’m so scared.

I don't have an answer for you because I do not know if this is a genetic predisposition. I can tell if "you are scared", along with anxiety issues?

Set up an appointment with a doctor that specializes with causes pertaining to hearing loss. That might help allieviate your fears along with your anxiety issue.
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Re: Is hearing loss hereditary?

JeanLouiseFinch — Thu, 02 Jul 2015 17:49:05 GMT

@janneljannel11 wrote:
Hi all,
I am starting this thread in order to clear my anxiety about hear loss. My grandfather had hearing impairment since his 40’s. He had suffered a lot at his last time due to this problem. Now, My father is facing the same problem, he had lost the hearing capacity of his left ear and using effective digital hearing aids from Toronto. He can’t hear anything without the help of his hearing aids. I wonder whether it is hereditary? Do I need any hearing evaluations? I’m so scared.

There's a lot of hearing issues that are hereditary, but hearing loss can also come if a person regularly works in a very loud environment and noise is assaulting their hearing during the course of the workday.

Hearing issues ran in my dad's family. When one of our children was very young (Pre-K and Kindergarten), we discovered they had some hearing issues and needed hearing aids. When I was in my very late 40's/early 50's, I started with Tinnitus. I tried to deal with it as best I could but eventually ended up in the Audiologists office. I'm 58 and now wear hearing aids in both ears. My siblings also wear hearing aids. I've had them for probably six years now. Style wise, I started with the in the canal type because I thought they'd be less noticable. They were HORRIBLE! The bone structure in my ear wouldn't hold them in place correctly. Every time I'd chew, cough, sneeze, etc., they'd slip out of place. With my second pair, I chose the over-the-ear style and LOVE them.

I understand about you being scared, but they can do remarkable things these days. New hearing aids can provide excellent assistance, but are so small that can barely be noticed by the public. My audiologist shared with me that there's a connection between people ignoring their hearing problems and getting dementia. That should be enough to get people to wear the hearing aids! I think you should probably get a hearing evaluation. It's painless and you'll know where you stand. You can discuss your concerns with the audiologist and they'll be able to help you. The important thing is that you go to a real, board certified Audiologist. The are medically trained in the structure and operation of the ear, and know what to look for, rather than a sales person who is just trying to push a product. Audiologist also have an array of hearing aids to choose from so they can be specific to your needs and lifestyle.

If and when the audiologist recommends hearing aids, don't go cheap. Get the absolute best you can afford that will meet your needs. Also be sure to get a drying box to keep them in overnight. This will help keep the internal wiring from corroding and keep them in the best working order possible. You'll also have to keep in mind that hearing aids don't last forever. Technology changes and needs change so they do need to be replaced from time to time. Unfortunately, hearing aids are usually an out of pocket expense, not covered by insurance, which really frosts me. Yeah, they can pay for a man's little blue pill, but not hearing aids.

Good luck to you. If I can answer any other questions, let me know.

Re: Is hearing loss hereditary?

Campion — Thu, 02 Jul 2015 09:03:23 GMT

Nerve deafness certainly is hereditary. My grandfather had it, my mother and ...now me.

Re: Is hearing loss hereditary?

wonderfulworld — Thu, 02 Jul 2015 14:56:04 GMT

The first thing you have to do (and your children, siblings etc) is to be proactive in not damaging your hearing by exposure to loud noise, concerts,fireworks, lawn mowers and not to use ear buds when listening to music...or if you do keep the volume low.

Men are more prone to age related loss because of their history in factory work and the military and such. It is impossible to predict if you will have issues. Some do, some don't.

As others have pointed out the technology today is wonderful. Generally you will know when other people are able to follow a conversation or TV and you are having trouble. That is the time to get tested.

Hearing tests are free but see a good Audiologist. As one who knows, hearing loss is frustrating but I am in my early 60's and know many others who are dealing with worse health issues.

Do you notice that you are having trouble hearing?

Re: Is hearing loss hereditary?

Kachina624 — Thu, 02 Jul 2015 20:36:20 GMT

My dentist who is in his 50's has been wearing hearing aids for years. He say it was caused by listening to very loud rock music as a youth.

Re: Is hearing loss hereditary?

ChynnaBlue — Thu, 02 Jul 2015 20:52:18 GMT

Visit with your doctor, discuss family history and your own lifestyle and then decide with your doctor how to procede.

Re: Is hearing loss hereditary?

RedTop — Fri, 03 Jul 2015 00:16:44 GMT

Based on what I see with my husband and his siblings, I do feel there is some predisposition within families for hearing loss. However, my husband also has a service connected disability on his hearing. My grandmother's high blood pressure caused permanent nerve damage resulting in major hearing loss in both ears when she was in her 50's. When she was in her mid 80's, technology advanced to a level where hearing aids were a viable option for her. I would definitely consult an audiologist for an exam if you have any concerns.

Re: Is hearing loss hereditary?

janneljannel11 — Fri, 03 Jul 2015 09:11:50 GMT

Thank you all for sharing your experience. To be frank, your responses made me more anxious about my hearing ability. I didn't notice any trouble in hearing yet unless when I listen to music for long time (I used to use my headphones more than 4 hours per day). From today onwards I will avoid listening to music using headphones. What are the other precautions to be taken to prevent sudden hear loss? I had already got an appointment with an audiologist for a hearing evaluation, what if my audiologist diagnose a hearing impairment ? I’m only 20 and I don’t want to use any hearing aids at this age.

Re: Is hearing loss hereditary?

violann — Fri, 03 Jul 2015 11:26:25 GMT

"Sudden" hearing loss requires follow up investigation.
Your statement that you don't "want" hearing aids is comparable to saying you wouldn't wear driving glasses.
Hearing loss is frequently progressive, and here's the biggest problem- you can't realize what you're missing when your hearing is deteriorating, BECAUSE YOU DON'T KNOW YOU'RE NOT HEARING IT.
Think about that statement- someone says something, and you don't know that something has been said! So you fail to get the information that the speaker had offered, or you don't respond socially and the speaker thinks you're ignoring them, or you hear part of what is said, and miss vital details.....
Hearing loss, whether partial or worse, can be much more of a problem than vision loss, yet it is also easier to be in denial about hearing loss.
The amplified sound issue may be one of the greatest communication tragedies that has ever happened, yet we can all ignore it, because as hearing and listening skills become worse, noise levels get higher, and damage increases!

Re: Is hearing loss hereditary?

JeanLouiseFinch — Fri, 03 Jul 2015 11:43:54 GMT

@janneljannel11 wrote:
Thank you all for sharing your experience. To be frank, your responses made me more anxious about my hearing ability. I didn't notice any trouble in hearing yet unless when I listen to music for long time (I used to use my headphones more than 4 hours per day). From today onwards I will avoid listening to music using headphones. What are the other precautions to be taken to prevent sudden hear loss? I had already got an appointment with an audiologist for a hearing evaluation, what if my audiologist diagnose a hearing impairment ? I’m only 20 and I don’t want to use any hearing aids at this age.

Precautions would be to avoid extremely noisy situations on a regular basis, but that's not going to make a difference if you're already predisposed to hereditary age-related hearing loss. Assuming you were born with normal hearing, if you anticipate hereditary age-related hearing loss, it's not like you go to bed one night fine and wake up the next day unable to hear. Typically it happens over time and you don't really notice it until you're middle aged, so you probably have a lot of good hearing years on your side. If you are diagnosed with a hearing loss now from blasting your music, I don't know that you can recover from any damage that's already been caused, but changing your habits will help it to not get any worse. All that said, if you do have appreciable hearing loss now and are recommended to use aids, you need to be mature about approaching it. What's your aversion to wearing hearing aids now if they're going to improve your quality of life? There's nothing wrong with wearing hearing aids at 20 yrs. old. Would you be embarrassed for your peers to know? I'll be frank and say, get over yourself. I've said the same thing to my child who refuses to wear theirs. They're being stubborn and don't realize how much better their life could be, but I can't force them anymore either so they live with the consequences. A lot of people grow up wearing hearing aids from the time they are young children. Wearing hearing aids is no different than wearing eyeglasses or contact lenses, or taking a daily medication that makes your body operate normally and effectively.

Re: Is hearing loss hereditary?

Hayfield — Tue, 07 Jul 2015 10:15:55 GMT

I'm 60 years old and a couple of years ago I noticed that I was having problems hearing conversations in very loud, noisy areas and I went for a hearing test and was told that I am starting to have some mild hearing loss, especially in loud, noisy areas but did not need hearing aids at the time but to get my hearing checked yearly. I think for a lot of people, like me, it's simply aging. It's a fact of life and I'll deal with it.

Re: Is hearing loss hereditary?

LilacTree — Thu, 09 Jul 2015 19:11:37 GMT

My dad had significant hearing loss in his left ear in his fifties. He eventually went deaf in that ear.

I have significant hearing loss in my left ear. I suspect I will suffer the same fate as my dad.

I have had tinnitus practically all of my adult life. Yes, I do believe it is genetic.

Re: Is hearing loss hereditary?

wonderfulworld — Fri, 10 Jul 2015 14:56:21 GMT

@janneljannel11 wrote:
Thank you all for sharing your experience. To be frank, your responses made me more anxious about my hearing ability. I didn't notice any trouble in hearing yet unless when I listen to music for long time (I used to use my headphones more than 4 hours per day). From today onwards I will avoid listening to music using headphones. What are the other precautions to be taken to prevent sudden hear loss? I had already got an appointment with an audiologist for a hearing evaluation, what if my audiologist diagnose a hearing impairment ? I’m only 20 and I don’t want to use any hearing aids at this age.

You have taken an important step by stopping the music listening with head phones. Ear buds are even worse.Also, avoid any loud noise, equipment, fireworks and lawnmowers without ear protection. Even the rubbery/foam one that you put in your ears will help.

The audiologist can give you even more info. Let us know how you do. You are wise to be concerned about hearing at such a young age. Bravo for you.

Re: Is hearing loss hereditary?

wonderfulworld — Tue, 21 Jul 2015 13:18:02 GMT

I have been watching this thread for an update on the OP's audiologist appointment/ I hope it went well.