Singer Alka Yagnik has very recently revealed that she has been diagnosed with a rare form of hearing loss, a problem that has caused her to cancel all her shows and concerts and has put her career in peril.
A Lesson For The Audience:
In a social media post, National-Award winning singer, Alka Yagnik, called the diagnosis a “sudden major setback” that caught her by surprise and shared that she was still coming to terms with it.
She urged her “fans and young colleagues” to be mindful of their hearing health, cautioning against very long exposures to loud music and excessive use of headphones.
She revealed that she was unable to hear anything after walking out of a flight a few weeks ago.
Doctors warn that using headphones at very loud volumes, on a regular basis, can lead to hearing loss, including the ‘sudden deafness’ Yagnik has been diagnosed with.
“One is the impact loud music has on the inner ear that causes hearing loss and the second is pinna, resulting from plugging those earphones,” said Dr Sunil Narayan Dutt, senior consultant, ENT, Apollo Hospitals.
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What Is Sudden Deafness?
Sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSHL), also called sudden deafness, is an unexplained rapid loss of hearing typically occurring in one ear over 72 hours or less. It is considered to be a medical emergency and immediate treatment may improve the chances of recovery.
Many people feel that they have SSHL when they wake up in the morning. Others first notice it when they try to use the deafened ear, for example, when they use a phone. Still, others notice a loud, alarming “pop” just before their hearing disappears. People with sudden deafness often become dizzy, have ringing in their ears, or both.
“Remember that if you are used to normal hearing and it suddenly blocks up, that is never okay. The sooner you get it checked out, the better. If it is SHL, every day you delay reduces your chance of recovery,” says Dr. Steven Rauch, an Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) specialist with Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts Eye and Ear.
A sudden blocked ear, often overnight or within a few days, accompanied by tinnitus and/or dizziness are the symptoms. People who start suffering from it often misinterpret it to be a common cold, thus delaying their visits to the doctor.
Very few people diagnosed with SSHL have an identifiable cause.
“The main reason is that people don’t view it as a serious problem and don’t get the medical care they need. This delay increases the risk of permanent hearing loss,” added Dr Rauch.
Travelling on flights with a common cold or an ear infection can cause pressure fluctuations in the ear and may cause dizziness and facial pain associated with sudden or gradual deafness.
“Consult a doctor before. You may be prescribed medicines or salt water nose spray, or asked to chew gum, swallow lozenges or sip water when the aircraft is descending. I suggest the ‘Toynbee maneuver’ — swallow with your mouth and nose closed and then swallow with the nose open. Do it several times. This helps equalise pressure in the ear,” advised Dr Jagdish Chaturvedi, an ENT surgeon.
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Sources: Deccan Herald, The New Indian Express, The Economic Times
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