In Yagnik’s case, it is a viral infection. But it can be triggered by meningitis, mumps and measles.
It is difficult to imagine that popular singer Alka Yagnik, somebody who lives with the sound of music, is going through hearing loss. Revealing she has a condition called sensorineural deafness in her social media handle, she wrote, “It has been diagnosed by my docs as a rare sensory neural nerve hearing loss, due to a viral attack…This sudden, major setback has caught me completely unawares. As I attempt to come to terms with it, please keep me in your prayers.”
Sensorineural deafness is a type of hearing loss that happens because of damage to the inner ear, the place of origin of the nerve that runs from the ear to the brain, called the auditory nerve. “In fact, what many people ought to know is that many people with viral flu are reporting this condition this season. Every year, the flu season has certain dominant characteristics, This year, it’s hearing loss. This can be cured if you report it to your ENT specialist within a week, preferably 48 hours. Damage could be permanent if you don’t,” says Dr Kalpana Nagpal, Senior Consultant, ENT, Head and Neck and Robotic Surgery, Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, New Delhi.
The ear consists of external, middle and inner structures. When you respond to sound, your eardrum vibrates, which moves three tiny bones in your middle ear. These carry the sound to the cochlea, a fluid-filled chamber in your inner ear. The cochlea is lined with tiny hairs that vibrate when the sound waves hit them. These hairs convert the sound waves into an electrical signal to be sent to the brain.
When there is damage or other problems in your outer or middle ear, they affect the eardrum or tiny bones. This is called external hearing loss. Sensorineural hearing loss is caused by a problem in the inner ear. So the tiny hair cells that move sound through the ear cannot function properly because of damage or viral infection. The problem worsens because stem cells in the ear can’t repair the damaged layer just as rapidly.
Deafness resulting from external or middle ear damage can be cured. An inner ear nerve problem may not be cured if not addressed promptly.
In Yagnik’s case, it is a viral infection. But it can be triggered by meningitis, mumps and measles. Other causes could be injury of the ear or head or exposure to really loud noises or sound over a prolonged period of time.
Your sense of hearing goes down drastically or you cannot hear at all. You may see people’s mouths moving but can barely catch their words coherently. They may sound like they are mumbling something. Sometimes you may have ringing or a buzzing sound in your ear. I would say if you feel numbness in the ear or reduced hearing, come and see the doctor immediately.
Viral infections lead to edema and swelling in the inner ear and even of the salivary gland. If the patient presents themselves within a week, we administer steroid injections in the eardrum to improve the hearing and relieve the edema. If the damage is permanent, then there are solutions like hearing aids, which can amplify sounds near you, or opt for cochlear implants.
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Given that we are living with more aggressive forms of flu each year, try to prevent acquiring one. Wear a mask in public places, take an annual shot of flu vaccine. And to protect yourself from any kind of hearing loss from external sources, wear good earplugs.
In Yagnik’s case, it is a viral infection. But it can be triggered by meningitis, mumps and measles.
It is difficult to imagine that popular singer Alka Yagnik, somebody who lives with the sound of music, is going through hearing loss. Revealing she has a condition called sensorineural deafness in her social media handle, she wrote, “It has been diagnosed by my docs as a rare sensory neural nerve hearing loss, due to a viral attack…This sudden, major setback has caught me completely unawares. As I attempt to come to terms with it, please keep me in your prayers.”
Sensorineural deafness is a type of hearing loss that happens because of damage to the inner ear, the place of origin of the nerve that runs from the ear to the brain, called the auditory nerve. “In fact, what many people ought to know is that many people with viral flu are reporting this condition this season. Every year, the flu season has certain dominant characteristics, This year, it’s hearing loss. This can be cured if you report it to your ENT specialist within a week, preferably 48 hours. Damage could be permanent if you don’t,” says Dr Kalpana Nagpal, Senior Consultant, ENT, Head and Neck and Robotic Surgery, Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, New Delhi.
The ear consists of external, middle and inner structures. When you respond to sound, your eardrum vibrates, which moves three tiny bones in your middle ear. These carry the sound to the cochlea, a fluid-filled chamber in your inner ear. The cochlea is lined with tiny hairs that vibrate when the sound waves hit them. These hairs convert the sound waves into an electrical signal to be sent to the brain.
When there is damage or other problems in your outer or middle ear, they affect the eardrum or tiny bones. This is called external hearing loss. Sensorineural hearing loss is caused by a problem in the inner ear. So the tiny hair cells that move sound through the ear cannot function properly because of damage or viral infection. The problem worsens because stem cells in the ear can’t repair the damaged layer just as rapidly.
Deafness resulting from external or middle ear damage can be cured. An inner ear nerve problem may not be cured if not addressed promptly.
In Yagnik’s case, it is a viral infection. But it can be triggered by meningitis, mumps and measles. Other causes could be injury of the ear or head or exposure to really loud noises or sound over a prolonged period of time.
Your sense of hearing goes down drastically or you cannot hear at all. You may see people’s mouths moving but can barely catch their words coherently. They may sound like they are mumbling something. Sometimes you may have ringing or a buzzing sound in your ear. I would say if you feel numbness in the ear or reduced hearing, come and see the doctor immediately.
Viral infections lead to edema and swelling in the inner ear and even of the salivary gland. If the patient presents themselves within a week, we administer steroid injections in the eardrum to improve the hearing and relieve the edema. If the damage is permanent, then there are solutions like hearing aids, which can amplify sounds near you, or opt for cochlear implants.
Subscribe to receive the day's headlines from The Indian Express straight in your inbox
Given that we are living with more aggressive forms of flu each year, try to prevent acquiring one. Wear a mask in public places, take an annual shot of flu vaccine. And to protect yourself from any kind of hearing loss from external sources, wear good earplugs.
Dr balu