The impossibility or difficulty of hearing characterize deafness, which has different levels and origins. The main causes are diseases such as viruses and meningitis, use of medications and drugs, exposure to intense noise, as well as head trauma or tumors.
Other factors include cases of deafness in the family, premature birth or low birth weight, antibiotic use, as well as congenital infections such as syphilis, toxoplasmosis and rubella.
In Brazil, deaf people constitute 3.2% of the population or approximately 5.8 million Brazilians, according to the Ministry of Health. To communicate, the deaf use an adaptation to linguistics, Libras – Brazilian Sign Language, which was recognized as a legal means of communication and expression, through Law nº 10.436/2002.
In this Thursday’s edition (21) of the Medical Correspondentfrom Novo Dia, neurosurgeon Fernando Gomes explained how the hearing aid works and the main impacts that can lead to deafness.
“These vibrational waves that come through the air are directed to the eardrum, which then stimulates the ossicles and, in a very interesting way, ends up impressing the cochlea, where there are hair cells that are able to transform this mechanical information into electrical”, explains Gomes.
From that moment, the auditory nerve is responsible for taking the information to the brain, where the sound is perceived by the human mind. “If I have a problem to this region where the sound is conducted to the device where this transduction, this energy transformation is performed, I have a type of deafness or hearing problem related to conduction”, he adds.
The expert claims that the driving deafness It is caused by earwax buildup, infections, or immobilization of one or more bones in the ear. “If I have problems that will compromise this sound input, which can be, for example, an accumulation of wax, a post-infectious lesion, I have an explanation for why this patient is deaf”, he says.
On the other hand, the cochlea or auditory nerve deafness it can be caused by viruses, meningitis, use of medication or drugs, exposure to high-intensity noise, in addition to trauma, congenital problems and genetic factors.
Treatment varies according to the development of the condition in each patient. Interventions can be made from medications, surgeries and the use of hearing aids.
The Ministry of Health classifies deafness into five types, according to the level of difficulty in hearing:
- Slight:
The word is heard, however certain phonetic elements escape the individual. This type of deafness does not cause delays in language acquisition, but there are difficulties in hearing normal conversation. - Average:
– the word is only heard at a very strong intensity
– difficulties in language acquisition
– disturbance of speech and language articulation
– difficulties talking on the phone
– need for lip reading to understand what is being said - Severe:
– the word in normal tone is not perceived
– it is necessary to scream to have an auditory sensation
– disturbances in the voice and phonetics of the word
– intense need for lip reading - deep:
– no auditory sensation
– severe speech disturbances
– severe difficulties in acquiring oral language
– easily acquires Sign Language - Kophosis: complete deafness and total absence of sound
Source: CNN Brasil
