Tinnitus, Noise-induced Hearing Loss Preventable, Report Suggests
Among the many ailments that veterans can bring back from a war, tinnitus, or noise-induced hearing loss is one of them, currently affecting 12 percent of American troops.
"Improvised explosive devices, aircraft and other weaponry being used by the military are frankly deafening our troops," says Dr. Seidman, director of the Division of Otologic/Neurotologic Surgery in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery at Henry Ford Hospital.
In a growing body of research (which took 25 years to compile) aiming to battle this auditory shell-shock, researchers intend to present curative and preventive methods of treatment on Sept 9. at the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery annual meeting in Washington, D.C.
A statement released by the Henry Ford Health system notes that hearing loss does not just impact a persons ability to hear but creates balancing issues, insomnia and even raise the risk for heart disease by increasing a person's blood pressure, lipids and blood sugar"
Although there is no known cure for tinnitus just yet, several interventions are available, antioxidants, dietary supplements and high-tech brain imaging are among some of the more nuanced strategies that may help detect, treat and even prevent noise-induced hearing loss and tinnitus.
According to Dr. Seidman, more research and funding are needed in order to generate critical data to facilitate an understanding of the damage caused by acoustic trauma and develop strategies to properly mitigate that damage.
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