Home Doctor: Practical Medicine for Every Household
d) Hearing Loss Hearing loss is the inability to hear sounds that everyone normally hears. Although hearing impairment and hearing loss are used interchangeably, the truth is that the former refers to the difficulty of hearing but not to the impossibility. Age is the most common cause of progressive hearing loss. From the age of 65 onward, about half of all people have some degree of hearing impairment, and this number increases with age. The main consequences of hearing loss and hearing impairment are to social and work relationships, which can lead to anxiety and depression. In addition, there is a relationship between hearing loss and accidental falls. Although hearing difficulty occurs in the elderly, steps can be taken to avoid it or slow it down. There are professions that expose people to developing hearing loss, including construction, carpentry, nightclub clerks, and MRI technicians. The relationship between aircrew members and hearing loss has also been studied both because of the noise and because of the continuous pressure changes to which they are exposed. Prevention • • •
Avoid continuous exposure to loud noise. If working in a noisy environment, try to use safety headphones. See a hearing specialist if you have symptoms of difficulty hearing so that the level of hearing can be determined and a device can be recommended to improve it.
Nose a) Nosebleeds Nosebleeds have many causes. It is common to see this in very dry climates, whether they are hot or cold, because the nasal mucosa gets dry and is very sensitive to changes in humidity. It can also be due to a traumatic event or changes in blood pressure. In the ER, I have seen patients come in with heavy nosebleeds. Many people recommend putting your head back; in fact, you see it a lot on TV and movies. But this is not a good recommendation. The blood that comes out of the nose comes from the front of the mucosa; by putting the head back, we swallow it, which can cause stomach upset. It is ideal to lean forward and squeeze your nostrils for about ten seconds while you breathe through your mouth. The fingers are placed a little higher than the nostrils, without hurting the septum. 111
TenarAiuola, Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0
