| Medical Dictionary |
A Medical Dictionary of Medical Terminology
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It's frustrating to be unable to hear well enough to enjoy talking with friends or family. Hearing disorders make it hard, but not impossible, to hear. They can often be helped. Deafness can keep you from hearing sound at all.
What causes hearing loss? Some possibilities are:
There are two main types of hearing loss. One happens when your inner ear or auditory nerve is damaged. This type is usually permanent. The other kind happens when sound waves cannot reach your inner ear. Earwax buildup, fluid, or a punctured eardrum can cause it. Treatment or surgery can often reverse this kind of hearing loss.
Untreated, hearing problems can get worse. If you have trouble hearing, you can get help. Possible treatments include hearing aids, cochlear implants, special training, certain medicines, and surgery.
NIH: National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
An acoustic neuroma is a benign tumor that develops on the nerve that connects the ear to the brain. The tumor usually grows slowly. As it grows, it presses against the hearing and balance nerves. At first, you may have no symptoms or mild symptoms. They can include:
The tumor can also eventually cause numbness or paralysis of the face. If it grows large enough, it can press against the brain, becoming life-threatening.
Acoustic neuroma can be difficult to diagnose, because the symptoms are similar to those of middle ear problems. Ear exams, hearing tests, and scans can show if you have it.
If the tumor stays small, you may only need to have it checked regularly. If you do need treatment, surgery and radiation are options.
If the tumors affect both hearing nerves, it is often because of a genetic disorder called neurofibromatosis.
NIH: National Institute on Deafness and Communication Disorders
Most children hear and listen from the moment they are born. They learn to talk by imitating the sounds around them and the voices of their parents and caregivers. But about 2 or 3 out of every 1,000 children in the United States are born deaf or hard-of-hearing. More lose their hearing later during childhood.
Babies should have a hearing screening before they are a month old. If your child has a hearing loss, it is important to consider the use of hearing devices and other communication options by age 6 months. That's because children start learning speech and language long before they talk.
Hearing problems can be temporary or permanent. Sometimes, ear infections, injuries or diseases affect hearing. If your child does not hear well, get help.
NIH: National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
Your newborn infant has screening tests before leaving the hospital. There may be different tests depending on the state where you live. They include:
These tests look for serious medical conditions. If not treated, some of these conditions can cause lifelong health problems. Others can cause early death. With early diagnosis, treatment can begin right away, before serious problems can occur or become permanent.
If a screening shows that your baby might have a condition, the health care provider or the state health department will call you. It is important to follow up quickly. Further testing can verify whether your baby has the condition. If so, treatment should start right away.
NIH: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder. It is usually first diagnosed in childhood and often lasts into adulthood. But some people don't get diagnosed with ADHD until they are adults. ADHD involves:
There are three types of ADHD:
It's normal to sometimes have trouble paying attention or sitting still, especially for children. But people with ADHD have more severe symptoms that can sometimes cause serious problems, for example, failing grades for a child or a job loss for an adult. The symptoms are ongoing and may affect family and social life, too.
What causes attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)?The exact cause of ADHD is unknown. ADHD probably results from a combination of factors, such as genetics and your environment. Researchers are looking at possible environmental factors that might raise the risk of developing ADHD. These factors include brain injuries, nutrition, and social environments.
What are the symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)?The symptoms of ADHD depend on the type of ADHD a person has:
People with symptoms of attention problems may often:
People with symptoms of hyperactivity-impulsivity may often:
People with combined ADHD show a mix of inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity symptoms
How is attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnosed?There is no single test to diagnose ADHD. One step of the process for diagnosing ADHD involves having a physical exam, including vision tests, hearing tests (for children and adults), and other tests to rule out other problems with symptoms like ADHD. Other problems with similar symptoms include anxiety, depression, sleep problems, and certain types of learning disabilities.
The process also involves a thorough medical history and family history. And it usually includes using standardized ADHD symptom checklists, questionnaires, and/or interview questions. These tools have rating scales (scoring systems) that help the provider see if a person's symptoms and history fit a diagnosis of ADHD.
To make a diagnosis of ADHD, the provider needs to have found all of these things:
Although there is no cure for ADHD, treatments may help reduce symptoms and improve functioning. ADHD is commonly treated with:
Good treatment plans will include close monitoring, follow-ups, and making changes, if needed, along the way.
Having a healthy lifestyle, such as healthy eating and regular exercise, may also help manage symptoms.
For school-aged children, school support is important. This could include classroom-based behavioral interventions such as behavior management plans or teaching your child organizational and study skills. It may also include accommodations such as specific seating in the classroom, reduced classwork, or extended time on tests and exams.
NIH: National Institute of Mental Health
Have you ever felt dizzy, lightheaded, or as if the room is spinning around you? If the feeling happens often, it could be a sign of a balance problem. Balance problems can make you feel unsteady. You may also have blurred vision, confusion, and disorientation. They are one cause of falls and fall-related injuries, such as a hip fracture (broken hip).
Some balance problems are due to problems in the inner ear. Others may involve another part of the body, such as the brain or the heart. Aging, infections, head injury, certain medicines, or problems with blood circulation may also cause balance problems.
It is important to see your doctor about balance problems. They can be a sign of other health problems, such as an ear infection or a stroke. Your doctor may send you to a specialist for a diagnosis. You may need a hearing test, blood tests, or imaging studies of your head and brain. Other possible tests look at your eye movements, and how your body responds to movement.
In some cases, treating the illness that is causing the disorder will help with the balance problem. Exercises, a change in diet, and some medicines also can help.
NIH: National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
Your child's health includes physical, mental and social well-being. Most parents know the basics of keeping children healthy, like offering them healthy foods, making sure they get enough sleep and exercise and insuring their safety.
It is also important for children to get regular checkups with their health care provider. These visits are a chance to check your child's development. They are also a good time to catch or prevent problems.
Other than checkups, school-age children should be seen for:
Meniere's disease is a disorder of the inner ear. It can cause severe dizziness, a roaring sound in your ears called tinnitus, hearing loss that comes and goes and the feeling of ear pressure or pain. It usually affects just one ear. It is a common cause of hearing loss.
Attacks of dizziness may come on suddenly or after a short period of tinnitus or muffled hearing. Some people have single attacks of dizziness once in a while. Others may have many attacks close together over several days. Some people with Meniere's disease have "drop attacks" during which the dizziness is so bad they lose their balance and fall.
Scientists don't yet know the cause. They think that it has to do with the fluid levels or the mixing of fluids in the canals of your inner ear. Doctors diagnose it based on a physical exam and your symptoms. A hearing test can check to see how it has affected your hearing.
There is no cure. Treatments include medicines to control dizziness, limiting salt in your diet, and taking water pills. A device that fits into the outer ear and delivers air pulses to the middle ear can help. Severe cases may require surgery.
NIH: National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
Most young children get sick. It is hard for parents to know what is serious. You can learn what the common warning signs are. In the end, trust your intuition. If you are worried about your toddler, call your health care provider right away.
Well-child visits are important to your toddler's health. Toddlers will get their recommended vaccines during these visits. Routine exams and screenings help you and your kids prevent and treat health problems as well as chart their growth and development.