Denizli Private Egekent Hospital Otorhinolaryngologist Dr. İsmet Çerçi pointed out that according to the hearing health data published by the World Health Organization in 2023, a total of 430 million people in the world, including 34 million children, have severe or very severe hearing loss.
Denizli Private Egekent Hospital Ear Nose and Throat Specialist Dr. İsmet Çerçi pointed out that hearing health is one of the important factors that determine the quality of life. Explaining that the biggest factor of hearing loss in adults in Turkey is noise, and that age-related hearing loss occurs in the 60s, Dr. Çerçi pointed out that in scientific studies, 50 percent of the population over the age of 65 has hearing loss and that there is a close relationship between hearing loss and dementia and Alzheimer's. Dr. Çerçi said, “Good hearing health affects our ability to communicate, lead an effective and productive life and fully benefit from social interactions. Hearing loss, on the other hand, can significantly negatively affect our quality of life by weakening our communication and interaction skills, putting both our productivity and social relationships at risk, no matter what stage of our lives we are in, starting from our school life. Therefore, it is critical to pay attention to hearing health, to prevent hearing loss and, most importantly, to be aware of the possibilities that can offer solutions to hearing loss. However, today, thousands of people around the world are deprived of the sounds of life due to lack of awareness.”
More than 1 billion people at risk
Dr. Çerçi underlined that people with hearing loss started to prefer to stay at home in order to avoid the risk of being judged differently because they could not understand what was said in conversation and said, “In recent studies, it is thought that this loneliness unfortunately triggers dementia and Alzheimer's process. According to the data of the hearing health special report published by the World Health Organization in 2023, a total of 430 million people in the world, including 34 million children, have severe or very severe hearing loss. By 2050, the number of people who will experience some degree of hearing loss is estimated to be approximately 2.5 billion, and the number of people who will need rehabilitation services due to severe or profound hearing loss is estimated to be at least 700 million. The most thought-provoking and urgent data is that the number of young people at risk of preventable hearing loss in the world is more than 1 billion. The number of people with chronic ear infections, which are also treatable but no action has been taken, is 200 million.”
Dr. Çerçi listed the things to be considered about ear health in order to avoid hearing loss as follows:
“Protect your ears from loud noises. Choose safe volume levels when using headphones or in-ear headphones. Give importance to regular exercise and balanced nutrition. Pay attention to your ear wax. Take care not to use ear sticks to clean your ears. Keep your ears dry. Manage and reduce stress levels. Watch out for noisy toys for your children. Do not neglect to have your hearing checked. Pay attention to risk factors”
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