March 3rd is National Ear Care Day, and this year's theme is "Healthy Listening Without Hindering Communication". This issue specially invites Professor Yu Lisheng, an authoritative expert in the Department of Otolaryngology and Neck Surgery at Peking University People's Hospital, to provide in-depth interpretation of common ear problems. How to detect hearing impairment early? Early detection is crucial in the face of the invisible threat of hearing impairment. Parents should pay attention to the response of infants and young children to sound, such as whether there is no response to calls; School aged children and adults need to pay attention to communication difficulties in noisy environments, as well as whether TV volume gradually increases and directional dysfunction occurs. Elderly people need to be alert to the occurrence of signals such as tinnitus and deafness. Daily observation and regular hearing screening are effective means of early detection of hearing impairments. Especially for people with a family history and high-risk occupations, such as music workers, construction workers, etc. How should different age groups protect their ears? Protecting the ears requires a lifelong commitment. Different age groups require different protective measures. Infants and young children should avoid prolonged exposure to high decibel noise; Children and adolescents should reduce the time and volume of using headphones; Adults need to stay away from noisy environments, reduce stress, and pay attention to their daily routines; Elderly people need to strengthen exercise and have a reasonable diet to delay hearing loss. In addition, rest, sleep, and stable emotions are also important. Patients with underlying cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases need to protect their ears from multiple aspects, such as controlling underlying diseases, improving unhealthy lifestyle habits, paying attention to other related factors, and strengthening daily health care. Is tinnitus just a problem with the ears? Tinnitus does not necessarily mean there is a problem with the ears. Tinnitus is a subjective feeling of sound in the ear or skull of a patient without external sound source stimulation. The ancients said, 'The kidney opens its orifice in the ear.' The ear is not only an auditory organ, but also an external expression of visceral function. When there are abnormalities or imbalances in visceral function, the ears often serve as a "signal light", indicating possible problems in our body through symptoms such as tinnitus, such as otitis media, hearing loss, hypertension, etc. Therefore, when tinnitus occurs, timely medical attention should be sought to identify the cause and receive targeted treatment. In addition, tinnitus patients should pay attention to avoiding prolonged exposure to noisy environments, reducing the time and volume of using headphones. At the same time, it is important to maintain a regular schedule and adequate sleep, avoiding staying up late and overexertion. What exactly is dizziness? The incidence rate of vertigo/dizziness is very high, which has a great impact on life and work. Sudden dizziness during high-altitude operations or high-speed driving can have unimaginable consequences. In addition, falls caused by dizziness in the elderly often lead to serious consequences. When experiencing dizziness, the first step is to rule out "dangerous" dizziness such as cardiovascular accidents and tumors. Although the incidence rate of vertigo is not high, it still needs careful screening. Among all diseases with otogenic vertigo as the main manifestation, vestibular migraine accounts for more than 50%, otolith syndrome accounts for 20% to 30%, and Meniere's disease accounts for about 10%. Moreover, the same patient may have multiple vertigo diseases at the same time, but the causes, triggers, and mechanisms of each episode are different. The characteristics of dizziness in children of different age groups and young adults under 40 years old, the most common dizziness related disease is central sensitization syndrome (including vestibular migraine), which is related to excessive use of the brain, tension, excessive stress, emotional fluctuations, staying up late and other unhealthy lifestyle/work habits. The primary principle of prevention or treatment is to change the unhealthy lifestyle, reduce brain excitability, and use medication as a supplement. The primary cause of dizziness in elderly people is otolith syndrome, which is related to aging, microcirculatory disorders in the inner ear, calcium deficiency, and head trauma. Reduction therapy has a good effect. Among the three types of Meniere's disease: vestibular migraine, otolith syndrome, and Meniere's disease, the most harmful is Meniere's disease. The damage to inner ear function is significant, and repeated attacks can lead to a gradual decline or even loss of inner ear function. Moreover, 30% to 50% of patients with Meniere's disease may have bilateral onset, seriously affecting their quality of life. Currently, by adjusting unhealthy lifestyles and medication treatment, 70% of patients with Meniere's disease will show significant improvement. Ineffective patients can undergo surgical treatment, with a therapeutic effect of over 90%. Patients with advanced Meniere's disease have significant hearing loss and can opt for hearing aids to improve their hearing. If the hearing aid is ineffective, cochlear implantation treatment can also be performed. Many patients with dizziness have multiple comorbidities of dizziness. Although they all manifest as dizziness or vertigo symptoms, the causes and mechanisms of each episode may be different and require careful analysis and separate treatment. The miraculous effect of resetting behind transient vertigo in otolith syndrome. Otolith syndrome is a benign vertigo that often quietly strikes when getting up, lying in bed, or turning over in bed, causing a brief rotational vertigo that usually lasts only for more than 10 seconds. The patient needs to seek medical attention at the Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery and undergo relevant positional examinations to determine the cause. The reduction effect of otolith syndrome is very good, with a success rate of 80% to 90% for a single reduction. However, about half of the patients may experience dizziness or instability after repositioning treatment, and these residual symptoms usually disappear after 2-3 weeks. Vestibular dysfunction refers to damage to the vestibular organs in the ear, rather than the cranial nerves. The vestibular organ is responsible for maintaining body balance, and damage may lead to symptoms such as dizziness and imbalance. The main cause of vestibular dysfunction is middle ear lesions (such as otitis media, cholesteatoma, etc.); Inner ear lesions (Meniere's disease, sudden deafness, autoimmune inner ear disease, etc.); Posterior cochlear lesions (such as acoustic neuroma, etc.). Rehabilitation training is one of the important treatment methods for patients with vestibular dysfunction. Mainly including balance training, visual training, etc., aimed at improving patients' balance ability and quality of life. Can otitis media heal on its own? Otitis media is mostly self-healing and is a common ear disease. Otitis media that cannot self heal, including tympanic membrane perforation, requires early surgical treatment to avoid worsening of the condition and affecting hearing. The surgical cure rate of Peking University People's Hospital is over 90%. Professor Yu Lisheng reminds us to keep the ear canal dry and avoid getting water into the ears during swimming or bathing. Do not use cotton swabs or other items indiscriminately to clean the ear canal, in order to avoid damaging the eardrum or causing infection. Is there a relationship between hearing loss and senile dementia? There is a close correlation between hearing loss and elderly dementia. Hearing impairment may lead to a decrease in the amount of information received by the brain, which in turn affects cognitive function. Studies have shown that people with hearing loss who do not receive hearing intervention within 5 years will develop Alzheimer's disease by 50% after 5 years. Patients with long-term hearing loss often need to obtain information through other senses such as vision, which increases the burden on the brain. Meanwhile, hearing loss may also lead to psychological problems such as social isolation and depression, further affecting cognitive function. Therefore, it is recommended that elderly people undergo regular hearing tests to promptly detect and address hearing issues. Protecting hearing is also an important part of preventing dementia in the elderly. How to use headphones correctly to protect your ears? Earphones have become an indispensable part of modern life, but little is known about how to use them correctly. Long term and high volume use of headphones is one of the main causes of hearing loss. If the sound volume exceeds 85 decibels and lasts for two hours, it may cause irreversible hearing damage. It is recommended to follow the "60-60 principle" when using headphones, which means that the headphone volume should not exceed 60% of the maximum volume, the continuous use time should not exceed 60 minutes, and noise cancelling headphones should be selected as much as possible to reduce damage to the ears. In addition, do not wear headphones to sleep, so as not to unconsciously increase the volume or compress the ears during sleep. At the same time, it is necessary to regularly clean the headphones and ear canal to avoid bacterial growth and infection. (New Society)