Hearing Loss Isn't Detected Soon Enough, Says New Report - What Are The Symptoms?
This Many People Might Be Secretly Suffering From Hearing Loss
PA/The Huffington Post UK
There is an "urgent need" for hearing loss to be detected earlier as the number of people affected is set to soar, a new report suggests.
An estimated 10 million people suffer from hearing loss in the UK at present but by 2031 as many as 14.1 million people will struggle with hearing, according to a report from the think tank International Longevity Centre-UK (ILC-UK).
The authors said that more must be done to detect problems earlier.
difficulty hearing other people clearly and misunderstanding what they say
asking people to repeat themselves
listening to music or watching television with the volume turned up high
difficulty hearing the telephone or doorbell
regularly feeling tired or stressed, due to having to concentrate closely while listening
They also said that ministers must publish an action plan on how the Government plans to address hearing loss.
"Since the 1990s there has been a steady rise in the number of people with hearing loss and this is only set to get worse - if we look into the future, there will be more older people and unfortunately many of them will experience hearing loss," said Baroness Greengross, chief executive of the ILC-UK.
"If we consider that while loud rock music and festivals may have contributed to hearing loss among the baby-boomers, iPod and other such devices may well pose an even greater danger to the next generation."
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Musicians With Hearing Loss
Barbra Streisand(01 of10)
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After years of singing and performing, Barbra Streisand also suffers from tinnitus and cannot go a day without constantly dealing with the sound of ringing in her ears. (credit:Getty)
Brian Wilson (02 of10)
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Whereas most musicians develop some form of hearing damage after performing for a number of years, The Beach Boys' Brian Wilson was diagnosed with hearing problems when he was a child, but that didn't stop him from recording some of music's most influential albums to date. (credit:Getty)
Foxy Brown(03 of10)
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In 2005, rapper Foxy Brown announced that she was suffering from severe sensorineural hearing loss in both her ears. She went on to go completely deaf for an entire year before going through with surgery to restore her hearing, which was a success. "I went straight from the operating room to the studio," Brown said, of her post-surgery plans. (credit:Getty)
Metallica's Lars Ulrich(04 of10)
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The Metallica drummer has been performing for over 35 years now, but admits that he used to play onstage with no ear protection. Because of that, Ulrich has developed serious hearing problems from the exposure to loud noises. (credit:Getty)
Neil Young (05 of10)
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The Canadian legend first realized that he had damaged his ears in the early 90s when while recording his album, Weld. Since then, the singer/songwriter's hearing hasn't been the same, but he assures fans that "my hearing's not perfect, but it's OK." (credit:Getty)
Ozzy Osbourne(06 of10)
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Although entertaining to watch on reality TV, Ozzy Osborne often asks people to repeat things because his years of performing with Black Sabbath has led to permanent tinnitus, which had made the rock star somewhat deaf, of as his wife Sharon calls it, "conveniently deaf." (credit:Getty)
Pete Townshend(07 of10)
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The legendary guitarist for The Who is famously known for his battles with tinnitus and partial deafness. This is believed to have been the result of extensive exposure to loud music, what with The Who's 1976 gig in London which was listed as one of the loudest concerts ever in the Guinness Book of Records and Keith Moon's exploding drum set during their 1967 appearance on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. (credit:Getty)
Phil Collins (08 of10)
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Last year, Phil Collins quit music due to a slew of medical issues including hearing loss. (credit:Getty)
Ryan Adams(09 of10)
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Alt-rock singer/songwriter Ryan Adams suffers from Ménière's Disease, an illness that attacks the inner ear. As a result, Adams has dealt with symptoms such as hearing loss, tinnitus and vertigo. Having admittedly lost 50-60% of his hearing already, Adams took an entire year off from playing music and has since learned to live with his condition, saying, "I just think about working with what I got." (credit:Getty)
will-i-am- (10 of10)
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The Black Eyed Peas frontman admits to having tinnitus, a constant ringing in his ears, which he credits to his drive to write and record music at all times of the day. (credit:Getty)
The news comes as it emerged that one local health authority is considering whether or not to continue providing hearing aids for all patients on the NHS.
North Staffordshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) is running a consultation on whether or not to stop providing hearing aids for adults with mild to moderate age-related hearing loss.
Charity Action on Hearing Loss said the move would be "completely unacceptable".
Paul Breckell, chief executive of the charity, said: "For far too long hearing loss has lost out in the hierarchy of other health conditions, but we can no longer afford to ignore the individual, economic and societal cost of hearing loss.
"We also know, with ever increasing financial pressures, some clinical commissioning groups may be tempted to cut back on non-acute NHS services - North Staffordshire CCG is currently consulting on whether to remove free NHS hearing aids to those who have mild to moderate hearing loss. This is completely unacceptable."