"It is predicted that by 2050, almost 2.5 billion people will have some degree of hearing loss." Muradyan
YSU Rector Armen Muradyan wrote on his Facebook page. "Every year, March 3 is celebrated worldwide as the International Day of Hearing, which is a good opportunity to raise the issue of hearing loss as one of the threats to public health, to further increase the awareness of the population and to achieve a change in discriminatory attitudes and thinking. It is a deeply rooted misconception in society. perceptions and stigmatizing thinking are major factors limiting efforts to prevent and combat hearing loss. World Hearing Day 2024 is dedicated to overcoming societal misconceptions and stigmatizing thinking by raising awareness and sharing information with the public and healthcare providers. According to WHO data:
By 2050, nearly 2.5 billion people are predicted to have some degree of hearing loss, and at least 700 million people, or 1 in 10 people, will have hearing loss.
More than 1 billion young people are at risk of permanent, preventable hearing loss due to unsafe listening methods.
Expanding ear care and hearing aid services worldwide requires an additional annual investment of less than $1.40 per person.
The financial cost of hearing loss is nearly $1 trillion each year.
More than 80% of the world's need for ear care and hearing aids remains unmet. More than 5% of the world's population, or 430 million people, including 34 million children, need rehabilitation and medical services to address hearing loss that interferes with their full lives. has.Hearing loss refers to hearing loss greater than 35 decibels (dB) in the good hearing ear. Almost 80% of people with hearing loss live in low- and middle-income countries. The prevalence of hearing loss increases with age, with more than 25% of people over the age of 60 suffering from hearing loss. It is assumed that a person who cannot hear as well as a person with normal hearing, i.e. 20 decibels in both ears or higher hearing threshold is not overcome, then the given person has hearing loss of one degree or another. Hearing loss can be mild, moderate, severe, or profound, affecting one or both ears and causing difficulty hearing speech or loud sounds. The term "hearing impairment" refers to people with mild to severe hearing loss. People with hearing loss usually communicate through spoken language and may use hearing aids, cochlear implants, and other assistive devices, as well as captions. People with total hearing loss generally have profound hearing loss, which means very little or no hearing at all. Such people often use sign language to communicate. Hearing loss can occur at different stages of life, but people become more vulnerable during critical periods of life. The main causes of hearing loss vary by age group, for example, in the prenatal period, they can be genetic factors, including hereditary and non-hereditary hearing loss, intrauterine infections such as rubella and cytomegalovirus infection. Risk factors in the perinatal period are asphyxia, hyperbilirubinemia, low birth weight, other perinatal diseases and problems caused by their treatment. Risk factors in childhood and adolescence are chronic purulent and non-suppurative otitis media, meningitis and other infections. Among the possible causes of hearing loss in adulthood and old age are chronic diseases, smoking, otosclerosis, age-related neurosensory degeneration, sudden sensorineural hearing loss. Other factors that can cause hearing loss regardless of age include: • Sulfur plug formation • Ear or head injury • loud noise • ototoxic drugs • occupational ototoxic chemicals • nutrient deficiencies • viral infections and other ear diseases • delayed genetic hearing loss, etc.”
