Hearing loss is one of the most common conditions affecting older adults. Approximately 17 percent, or 36 million, of American adults say that they have some degree of hearing loss. Roughly one-third of Americans 65 to 74 years of age and 47 percent of those 75 and older have hearing loss. Men are more likely to experience hearing loss than women.

People with hearing loss may find it difficult to have a conversation with friends and family. They may also have trouble understanding a doctor's advice, responding to warnings, and hearing doorbells and alarms.

Hearing loss comes in many forms. It can range from a mild loss in which a person misses certain high-pitched sounds, such as the voices of women and children, to a total loss of hearing. It can be hereditary or it can result from disease, trauma, certain medications, or long-term exposure to loud noises.

There are two general categories of hearing loss. Sensorineural hearing loss occurs when there is damage to the inner ear or the auditory nerve. This type of hearing loss is permanent.

Conductive hearing loss occurs when sound waves cannot reach the inner ear. The cause may be earwax build-up, fluid, or a punctured eardrum. Medical or surgical treatment can usually restore conductive hearing loss.

One form of hearing loss, presbycusis, comes on gradually as a person ages. Presbycusis can occur because of changes in the inner ear, auditory nerve, middle ear, or outer ear. Some of its causes are aging, loud noise, heredity, head injury, infection, illness, certain prescription drugs, and circulation problems such as high blood pressure.

Presbycusis commonly affects people over 50, many of whom are likely to lose some hearing each year. Having presbycusis may make it hard for a person to tolerate loud sounds or to hear what others are saying.

Tinnitus, also common in older people, is the ringing, hissing, or roaring sound in the ears frequently caused by exposure to loud noise or certain medicines. Tinnitus is a symptom, not a disease, so it can accompany any type of hearing loss.

Tinnitus can also be a sign of other important health problems, such as allergies and problems in the heart and blood vessels. Tinnitus can come and go, or it can persist or stop altogether.

Some people may not want to admit they have trouble hearing. Older people who can't hear well may become depressed or withdraw from others to avoid feeling frustrated or embarrassed about not understanding what is being said. Sometimes older people are mistakenly thought to be confused, unresponsive, or uncooperative just because they don't hear well.

Hearing problems that are ignored or untreated can get worse. If you have a hearing problem, you can get help. See your doctor. Hearing aids, special training, certain medicines, and surgery are some of the choices that can help people with hearing problems.

1. Hearing loss is more likely

2. A constant ringing sound in the ears is called

3. A punctured eardrum

4. Treatment for hearing problems includes

Hearing loss happens for many reasons. Some people lose their hearing slowly as they age. This condition is called presbycusis. Doctors do not know why presbycusis happens, but it seems to run in families.

Another cause is the ear infection otitis media, which can lead to long-term hearing loss if it is not treated.

Hearing loss can also result from taking certain medications. "Ototoxic" medicines damage the inner ear, sometimes permanently. Some antibiotics are ototoxic. Even aspirin at some dosages can cause problems, but they are temporary. Check with your doctor if you notice a problem while taking a medication.

Heredity also is a cause of hearing loss, but not all inherited forms of hearing loss take place at birth. Some forms can show up later in life. In otosclerosis, which is thought to be a hereditary disease, an abnormal growth of bone prevents structures within the ear from working properly. A severe blow to the head also can cause hearing loss.

One of the most common causes of hearing loss is loud noise. Loud noise can permanently damage the inner ear. Loud noise also contributes to tinnitus, which is a ringing, buzzing, or roaring sound in the ears.

Already, 26 million American adults between 20 and 69 years of age have permanently damaged their hearing due to exposure to loud noise at work or in leisure activities.

Noise-induced hearing loss is 100 percent preventable. You can protect your hearing by avoiding noises at or above 85 decibels in loudness, which can damage your inner ear. These include gas lawnmowers, snowblowers, motorcycles, firecrackers, and loud music.

Lower the volume on personal stereo systems and televisions. When you are involved in a loud activity, wear earplugs or other hearing protective devices. Be sure to protect children as well.

Although awareness of noise levels is important, you should also be aware of how far away you are from loud noise and how long you are exposed to it. Avoid noises that are too loud (85 decibels and above), that are too close, and that last too long. If you experience tinnitus or have trouble hearing after noise exposure, then you have been exposed to too much noise.

There are other ways to prevent hearing loss. If earwax blockage is a problem for you, ear, nose, and throat doctors recommend using mild treatments such as mineral oil, baby oil, glycerin, or commercial ear drops to soften earwax. If you suspect that you may have a hole in your eardrum, however, you should consult a doctor before using such products. A hole in the eardrum can result in hearing loss and fluid discharge.

The ear infection otitis media is most common in children, but adults can get it, too. You can help prevent upper respiratory infections -- and a resulting ear infection -- by washing your hands frequently. Also, get a flu shot every year to help stave off flu-related ear infections. If you still get an ear infection, see a doctor immediately before it becomes more serious.

Do you take medication? If so, ask your doctor if your medicine is ototoxic, or damaging to the ear. Ask if other drugs can be used instead. If not, ask if the dose can be safely reduced. Sometimes it cannot. However, your doctor will help you get the medicine you need while trying to reduce unwanted side effects.

1. An ototoxic medicine is

2. A musician and a construction worker have an increased risk of developing what form of hearing loss?

3. You can prevent noise-induced hearing loss by

4. A noise that is most likely damaging to your hearing if it is too close or lasts too long is

Some people may have a hearing problem without realizing it. Others might think they have a problem, but are too embarrassed to tell their doctor, friends, or family. You can help identify a possible hearing problem by asking yourself some key questions and, if necessary, having your hearing checked by a doctor. Only 38 percent of adults ages 70 years and older and only 29 percent of adults ages 20 to 69 have had their hearing tested within the last 5 years.

If a hearing loss is ignored or untreated, it can get worse. But a hearing loss that is identified early can be helped through treatment, such as hearing aids, certain medicines, and surgery.

Ask yourself the following questions. If you answer "yes" to three or more of these questions, you could have a hearing problem and may need to have your hearing checked by a doctor.

• Do I have a problem hearing on the telephone?
• Do I have trouble hearing when there is noise in the background?
• Is it hard for me to follow a conversation when two or more people talk at once?
• Do I have to strain to understand a conversation?

• Do many people I talk to seem to mumble or not speak clearly?
• Do I misunderstand what others are saying and respond inappropriately?
• Do I often ask people to repeat themselves?
• Do I have trouble understanding the speech of women and children?

• Do people complain that I turn the TV volume up too high?
• Do I hear a ringing, roaring, or hissing sound a lot?
• Do some sounds seem too loud?

If you think that you have a hearing problem, schedule an appointment with your family doctor. In some cases, he or she can identify the problem and prescribe treatment.

Your doctor may refer you to an otolaryngologist. This doctor and surgeon has special training in problems of the ear, nose, throat, head, and neck.

An otolaryngologist will try to find out why you have a hearing loss and offer treatment options. He or she will ask you for your medical history, ask if other family members have hearing problems, do a thorough exam, and prescribe any needed tests.

Your doctor may also recommend that you visit an audiologist. An audiologist is a health professional who can identify and measure hearing loss. The audiologist will use a device called an audiometer to test your ability to hear sounds of different pitch and loudness.

The tests that an audiologist performs are painless. Audiologists do not prescribe drugs or perform surgery. If you need a hearing aid, an audiologist can help you choose the right one.

Sudden sensorineural hearing loss, or sudden deafness, is a rapid loss of hearing. It can happen to a person all at once or over a period of up to 3 days. It should be considered a medical emergency. If you or someone you know experiences sudden sensorineural hearing loss, you should visit a doctor immediately.

1. If a hearing loss is ignored or untreated, it can

2. Which of the following might be a sign of hearing loss?

3. If a family member frequently has difficulty following conversations, asks people to repeat themselves, and complains that people seem to be mumbling, you should

4. An otolaryngologist

Your doctor can recommend strategies to help reduce the effects of a hearing loss. Scientists are studying ways to develop new, more effective methods to treat and prevent hearing loss.

Many people who have a hearing loss wear a hearing aid. A hearing aid is an electronic, battery-operated device that makes sounds louder to the wearer. Unfortunately, only 16 to 17 percent of adults ages 20 to 69 years with hearing loss have used hearing aids, while 25 to 29 percent of adults ages 70 years and older with hearing loss have used hearing aids.

Hearing aids come in many shapes, sizes, and styles. Some hearing aids fit inside the outer ear or the ear canal, while others fit behind the ear.

Hearing aids can be analog or digital. Some analog aids are custom-built to meet a person's hearing needs. More advanced analog models can be adjusted with a computer to suit a number of environments, such as a room with a lot of background noise.

Digital hearing aids use a computer chip to process sounds, and are the most flexible in adjusting to different environments. They are also the most expensive.

An audiologist can help you determine if a hearing aid, or even two hearing aids, is the right treatment for you. Wearing two hearing aids may help balance sounds, improve your understanding of words in noisy situations, and make it easier to locate the source of sounds.

Other devices also can help you hear in certain listening environments. TV listening systems help you enjoy television or radio without being bothered by other sounds around you. Some hearing aids can be plugged directly into TVs, stereos, microphones, and personal FM systems to help you hear better.

Some hearing aids may have certain added features installed, such as a telecoil. A telecoil is a small magnetic coil that allows users to receive sound through the circuitry of the hearing aid, rather than through its microphone. This makes it easier to hear conversations over the telephone.

A telecoil also helps people hear in public facilities that have installed special sound systems, called induction loop systems. Induction loop systems can be found in many churches, schools, airports, and auditoriums.

Alerts such as doorbells, smoke detectors, and alarm clocks can give you a signal that you can see or a vibration that you can feel. For example, a flashing light can let you know someone is at the door or on the phone.

If your hearing loss is severe and of a certain type, your doctor may suggest that you talk to an otolaryngologist -- a surgeon who specializes in ear, nose, and throat diseases -- about a cochlear implant.

A cochlear implant is a small electronic device that the surgeon places under the skin and behind the ear. The device picks up sounds, changes them to electrical signals, and sends them past the non-working part of the inner ear and on to the brain.

A cochlear implant does not restore or create normal hearing. Instead, it can help people who are deaf or who have a severe hearing loss be more aware of their surroundings and understand speech, sometimes well enough to use the telephone.

But learning to interpret sounds from the implant takes time and practice. A speech-language pathologist and audiologist can help you with this part of the process.

Researchers are studying the causes of hearing loss as well as new treatments. For example, they are studying ways to improve hearing aids so that wearers can hear certain sounds more clearly even when a person is surrounded by background noise.

They are also studying how to improve cochlear implants to enhance a person's ability to understand sounds. And they are conducting a study on twins ages 50 and over to determine the extent to which age-related hearing loss runs in families.

1. A hearing aid

2. To find out if a hearing aid is the right treatment for you, you should see

3. Besides hearing aids, devices to help you hear better include specially equipped

4. A cochlear implant

Approximately 17 percent, or 36 million, of American adults say that they have some degree of hearing loss. Hearing loss is one of the most common conditions affecting older adults. Roughly one-third of Americans 65 to 74 years of age and 47 percent of those 75 and older have hearing loss.

Presbycusis and tinnitus are two of the most common types of hearing loss in older adults. Presbycusis comes on gradually as a person ages and mostly affects people over 50. Doctors do not know why presbycusis happens, but it seems to run in families.

Having presbycusis may make it hard for a person to tolerate loud sounds or to hear what others are saying. This type of hearing loss sometimes involves damage to the inner ear, which is permanent.

Tinnitus, also common in older people, is the ringing, hissing, or roaring sound in the ears frequently caused by exposure to loud noise or certain medicines. Tinnitus can accompany any type of hearing loss, but it can be a sign of other important health problems, too, such as allergies and problems in the heart and blood vessels. Tinnitus can come and go, or it can stop altogether.

People with hearing loss have trouble fully participating in everyday life. They may mistake words in a conversation, miss directions or warnings, or leave a ringing doorbell unanswered. Older people who can't hear well may become depressed or withdraw from others to avoid feeling frustrated or embarrassed about not understanding what is being said.

They may become suspicious of relatives or friends who they believe "mumble" or "don't speak up" on purpose. Hearing loss can cause older people to become more isolated and can even put them in harm's way if they are unable to respond to warnings or hear sounds of impending danger.

Sometimes older people are mistakenly thought to be confused, unresponsive, or uncooperative just because they don't hear well.

Hearing loss can result from taking certain medications. "Ototoxic" medicines damage the inner ear, sometimes permanently. Some antibiotics are ototoxic. Even aspirin at some dosages can cause problems, but only temporarily. Check with your doctor if you notice a problem while taking a medication.

Some forms of hearing loss can be inherited. Not all inherited forms of hearing loss take place at birth, however. Some forms can show up later in life. In otosclerosis, which is thought to be a hereditary disease, an abnormal growth of bone prevents structures within the ear from working properly.

One of the most common causes of hearing loss is noise. Loud noise can permanently damage the inner ear. Loud noise also contributes to tinnitus, which is a ringing, buzzing, or roaring sound in the ears. Older adults often have hearing loss and tinnitus from a combination of both noise and age.

Another cause of hearing loss is the ear infection otitis media, which can lead to long-term hearing loss if it is not treated. A severe blow to the head also can cause hearing loss.

Noise-induced hearing loss is 100 percent preventable. You can protect your hearing by paying attention to noises at or above 85 decibels in loudness, which can damage your inner ear. These include lawnmowers, snowblowers, motorcycles, firecrackers, and loud music.

Lower the volume on personal stereo systems and televisions. When you are involved in a loud activity, wear earplugs or other hearing protective devices. Be sure to protect children as well. Also, steer clear of loud noises that are too close or that last too long.

Washing your hands frequently can help prevent upper respiratory infections, which can lead to an ear infection called otitis media. Otitis media is a cause of long-term hearing loss. Also, get a flu shot every year to stave off flu-related ear infections. If you still get an ear infection, see a doctor immediately before it becomes more serious.

If you take medication, ask your doctor if your medicine is ototoxic, or damaging to the ear. Ask if other drugs can be used instead. If not, ask if the dose can be safely reduced. Sometimes it cannot. However your doctor will help you get the medicine you need while trying to reduce unwanted side effects.

If earwax blockage is a problem for you, ear, nose, and throat doctors recommend using mild treatments such as mineral oil, baby oil, glycerin, or commercial ear drops to soften earwax. If you suspect that you may have a hole in your eardrum, however, you should consult a doctor before using such products. A hole in the eardrum can result in hearing loss and fluid discharge.

If the hearing loss is conductive, such as earwax blockage, hearing can usually be restored. If the hearing loss is sensorineural, parts of the inner ear or auditory nerve are damaged. Hearing loss of this type is permanent.

The effects of noise-induced hearing loss may be temporary or permanent, depending on the intensity and duration of the exposure. Ototoxic drugs are medicines that damage the inner ear. Sometimes the damage lasts only as long as you take the drug; other times it is permanent.

Even if you have lost some hearing, it is important to protect the hearing that remains. Unfortunately, a person who has experienced hearing loss might work in a woodshop or other noisy place without hearing protection. This action can lead to further damage to the inner ear.

Ask yourself the following questions. If you answer "yes" to three or more of these questions, you could have a hearing problem and may need to have your hearing checked by a doctor.

• Do I have a problem hearing on the telephone?
• Do I have trouble hearing when there is noise in the background?
• Is it hard for me to follow a conversation when two or more people talk at once?

• Do I have to strain to understand a conversation?
• Do many people I talk to seem to mumble or not speak clearly?
• Do I misunderstand what others are saying and respond inappropriately?
• Do I often ask people to repeat themselves?

• Do I have trouble understanding the speech of women and children?
• Do people complain that I turn the TV volume up too high?
• Do I hear a ringing, roaring, or hissing sound a lot?
• Do some sounds seem too loud?

If you think that you have a hearing problem, schedule an appointment with your family doctor. In some cases, he or she can identify the problem and prescribe treatment.

Your doctor may refer you to an otolaryngologist. This doctor and surgeon has special training in problems of the ear, nose, throat, head, and neck.

An otolaryngologist will try to find out why you have a hearing loss and offer treatment options. He or she will ask you for your medical history, ask if other family members have hearing problems, do a thorough exam, and prescribe any needed tests.

Your doctor may also recommend that you visit an audiologist. An audiologist is a health professional who can identify and measure hearing loss.

The audiologist will use a device called an audiometer to test your ability to hear sounds of different pitch and loudness. The tests are painless. Audiologists do not prescribe drugs or perform surgery. If you need a hearing aid, an audiologist can help you choose the right one.

Sudden sensorineural hearing loss, or sudden deafness, is a rapid loss of hearing. It can happen to a person all at once or over a period of up to 3 days. It should be considered a medical emergency. If you or someone you know experiences sudden sensorineural hearing loss, you should visit a doctor immediately.

Your doctor can recommend strategies to help reduce the effects of a hearing loss. There are a number of treatments available, including hearing aids and other devices that can help you hear better.

A hearing aid is an electronic, battery-operated device that makes sounds louder to the wearer. Hearing aids come in many shapes, sizes, and styles. Some hearing aids fit inside the outer ear or the ear canal, while others fit behind the ear. Unfortunately, only 16 to 17 percent of adults ages 20 to 69 years with hearing loss have used hearing aids, while 25 to 29 percent of adults ages 70 years and older with hearing loss have used hearing aids.

Other devices also can help you hear in certain listening environments. TV listening systems help you listen to the television or the radio without being bothered by other noises around you. Some hearing aids can be plugged into TVs, stereos, microphones, and personal FM systems to help you hear better.

Some hearing aids may have certain added features installed, such as a telecoil. A telecoil is a small magnetic coil that allows users to receive sound through the circuitry of the hearing aid, rather than through its microphone. This makes it easier to hear conversations over the telephone. A telecoil also helps people hear in public facilities that have installed special sound systems, called induction loop systems. Induction loop systems can be found in many churches, schools, airports, and auditoriums.

Alerts such as doorbells, smoke detectors, and alarm clocks can give you a signal that you can see or a vibration that you can feel. For example, a flashing light can let you know someone is at the door or on the phone.

If your hearing loss is severe and of a certain type, your doctor may suggest that you talk to a surgeon who specializes in ear, nose, and throat diseases, called an otolaryngologist, about a cochlear implant.

A cochlear implant is a small electronic device that the surgeon places under the skin and behind the ear. The device picks up sounds, changes them to electrical signals, and sends them past the non-working part of the inner ear and on to the brain.

Researchers are studying the causes of hearing loss as well as new treatments. For example, they are studying ways to improve hearing aids so that wearers can hear certain sounds more clearly even when a person is surrounded by background noise.

They are also studying how to improve cochlear implants to enhance a person's ability to understand sounds. And they are conducting a study on twins ages 50 and over to determine the extent to which age-related hearing loss runs in families.