Over the past decade, hearing loss has emerged as a key issue in aging and health.  The problem affects over 80% of people aged 80 and over. Hearing loss is associated with social isolation, depression, and cognitive impairment --- all problems that are common among nursing home residents. Yet the problem of hearing loss has not received much attention in

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Madeline R. Sterling, M.D., M.P.H., from Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City, and colleagues examined the prevalence and correlates of hearing loss among adults aged 70 or older with and without HF using data from the 2005-2006 and 2009-2010 waves of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The researchers found that participants with HF were older, had more cardiovascular

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Millions of Americans hear ringing in their ears -- a condition called tinnitus -- and new research shows an experimental device could help quiet the phantom sounds by targeting unruly nerve activity in the brain. In a new study in  Science Translational Medicine , a team from the University of Michigan reports the results of the first animal tests and

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A single treatment of a genome editing agent partially preserved hearing in mice with genetic deafness. The work could one day help scientists treat certain forms of genetic hearing loss in humans. Using molecular scissors wrapped in a greasy delivery package, researchers have disrupted a gene variant that leads to deafness in mice. A single treatment involving injection of a

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Elderly patients who experience age-related hearing loss (ARHL) may be at greater risk for cognitive decline and impairment compared with elderly patients with no hearing loss, according to findings from a systematic review published in  JAMA Otolaryngology: Head & Neck Surgery . The number of dementia cases in this study was small, possibly limiting the overall power of the findings. In addition, the investigators

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Researchers using functional MRI (fMRI) have found that neurofeedback training has the potential to reduce the severity of tinnitus or even eliminate it, according to a study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). Tinnitus is the perception of noise, often ringing, in the ear. The condition is very common, affecting approximately one

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This means patients do not need to be referred to a specialist ear, nose and throat (ENT) service for the same procedure, new draft guidance from NICE says. Earwax can be removed using an electronic machine that pumps water into the ear at a controlled pressure, known as ear irrigation. Patients should be given ear drops to soften the wax before irrigation, the

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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved a remote feature for follow-up programming sessions for the Nucleus Cochlear Implant System through a telemedicine platform. The remote programming feature is indicated for patients who have had six months of experience with their cochlear implant sound processor and are comfortable with the programming process. “Programming adjustments to a cochlear implant are

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Want to restore hearing by injecting stem cells into the inner ear? Well, that can be a double-edged sword. Inner ear stem cells can be converted to auditory neurons that could reverse deafness, but the process can also make those cells divide too quickly, posing a cancer risk, according to a study led by Rutgers University-New Brunswick scientists. The encouraging

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Researchers from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), part of the National Institutes of Health, have found a strong association between hearing impairment and depression among U.S. adults of all ages, particularly in women. The findings were similar among whites, blacks, and Hispanics. Chuan-Ming Li, M.D., Ph.D., in the Epidemiology and Statistics Program at the NIDCD, was the

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