听觉过敏
Overview
听觉亢进是一种声音感知障碍. 病人 suffering from hyperacusis may appear overly sensitive to a range of sounds, 发现很多噪音让人难以忍受和痛苦. 听觉亢进和“招募”不一样," a disorder that can be a normal consequence of hearing loss and is associated with abnormal perception of sound as the volume increases.
这种情况会影响儿童和成人, 但被认为是罕见的, 估计每50人中就有一个,000人. 它可以由许多因素引起. The most common is related to damage to the cochlea from exposure to loud noises such as those experienced at certain work environments, 摇滚音乐会, 枪声, 汽车安全气囊和烟花.
The condition often affects people who have sustained a head injury, 还有耳鸣患者, a common condition in which people hear a ringing noise in their ears. 其他原因可能包括声损伤, 对药物或手术的不良反应, 慢性耳部感染, 自身免疫性疾病.
我们治疗听觉亢进的方法
加州大学旧金山分校, our audiologists and ear specialists provide state-of-the-art evaluation and treatment for patients with hearing disorders, 比如听觉亢进. We know that when a person develops a sensitivity to normal sounds, 它可以影响日常生活的许多方面. That's why we treat the condition with a combination of behavioral counseling and acoustic therapy. Counseling helps patients manage the anxieties and fears that often come with hyperacusis, while acoustic therapy can decrease patients' sensitivity to sounds. We also fit some patients with a wearable device that produces steady, 温柔的声音 that can desensitize the auditory nerves and affected parts of the brain over time, allowing patients to tolerate normal environmental sounds again.
迹象 & 症状
The hallmark symptom of hyperacusis is having a reduced tolerance and increased sensitivity to everyday sounds in your normal environment. People who suffer from the disease often complain of living in a world in which the volume seems to be turned up too high. 正因为如此, 他们的生活质量受到影响, and they may begin to wear earplugs or earmuffs in public situations where they cannot control the noise.
对于有听觉亢进的人, 日常, normal sounds that most people hardly notice suddenly become irritating and painful. 通常最令人不安的声音是突然的, 尖锐的声音, 比如警报器, 汽车刹车, 银器和盘子的叮当声, 孩子们的尖叫声和掌声.
Because people with the condition are so sensitive to noise, 他们可能会对噪音产生恐惧, 被称为电话恐惧症. 结果是, this may cause them to avoid social and public situations in fear of exposing their ears to harmful sounds.
诊断
An audiologist will begin by conducting a thorough physical examination and asking the patient about medical history, including questions about the length and severity of 症状. 将进行听力测试或听力图, which is a graph that depicts a person's ability to hear sounds at different frequencies.
值得注意的是, 然而, that most people with true hyperacusis don't appear to have any hearing loss as measured and recorded on an audiogram. They may have difficulty hearing speech in noisy environments or in poor listening conditions, 即使听力测试显示没有听力损失. This is sometimes called obscure auditory dysfunction or auditory processing difficulty.
治疗
Although a corrective surgical or medical approach for treating hyperacusis is not available at this time, there are a number of existing therapies that can help reduce a person's fears and anxieties about the disease, 以及它们对声音的实际敏感度. 这些可能包括再培训和听觉治疗.
再治疗
再治疗 consists of counseling and acoustic therapy. The aim is to reduce a patient's reactions to hyperacusis. 咨询的目的是帮助病人更好地应对, while acoustic therapy is used to decrease a patient's sensitivity to sounds and to teach them to view sound in a positive manner.
良好的发电机
This treatment approach uses the sound of music or noise produced via a body-worn system or a small device that looks like a hearing aid, 产生稳定的, 温柔的声音. The theory is that by listening to a sound at a low level for a certain amount of time each day, the auditory nerves and brain centers will become desensitized and able to tolerate normal environmental sounds again. 在大多数情况下, 治疗很成功, but takes anywhere from three months to two years for improvements to be made.
值得注意的是 also that the constant use of earplugs is NOT recommended. Constant or frequent blocking of the ears may further alter the brain's calibration of loudness and may teach the brain to further restrict its comfort range.
加州大学旧金山分校健康 medical specialists have reviewed this information. It is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace the advice of your doctor or other health care provider. We encourage you to discuss any questions or concerns you may have with your provider.
