Hearing Loss

Hearing loss, impairment or deafness may be of two major types: one that develops some time in life, one that a baby is born with – or congenital deafness. Most commonly, hearing loss is seen with age or is caused by exposure to loud noises.

What is hearing loss?

More than 10 million people in the United Kingdom have some form of hearing loss. Of these about 688,000 are severely or profoundly deaf.

Types of Hearing Loss

Causes of Hearing Loss

Symptoms and Diagnosis of Hearing Loss

Treatment of hearing loss

Preventing Noise-induced Hearing Loss

Age-Related Hearing Loss (ARHL) / Presbycusis

Hearing Loss Research

Sensorineural Hearing Loss (SNHL)

Conductive Hearing Loss

Newborn Hearing Screening

Dealing with Hearing Loss

See more featured articles »

Hearing Loss and Genetics

Recent Developments in Hearing Technology

What is Safe Listening?

Latest Hearing Loss News and Research

New hope for sclerosteosis patients through Wnt pathway inhibition

Sclerosteosis arises from mutations in the SOST gene, causing abnormally high bone mass and skeletal overgrowth, which can lead to severe health issues such as hearing loss and increased intracranial pressure.

16 Apr 2025

Study finds connection between hearing impairment and heart failure risk

Hearing loss is linked to a heightened risk of developing heart failure, with the psychological distress caused by the impairment taking a key role in the observed association, finds a large long term study, published online in the journal Heart.

9 Apr 2025

Study identifies 17 modifiable risk factors shared between stroke, dementia, and depression

Age-related brain diseases such as stroke, dementia, and late-life depression are a debilitating part of growing older, but people can lower their risk of these diseases through behavioral and lifestyle changes.

3 Apr 2025

New method traces development of nervous system and inner ear cells

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have developed a method that shows how the nervous system and sensory organs are formed in an embryo.

3 Apr 2025

Study shows women can hear better than men

An international team of scientists has found that biological sex is the leading factor explaining differences in hearing sensitivity, with women having significantly more sensitive hearing than men.

From University of Bath 1 Apr 2025

Scientists discover key genes for regenerating cells in the ear and eye

The same genes could hold the key to regenerating cells in the ear and eye, according to a new mouse study from the USC Stem Cell laboratory of Ksenia Gnedeva, PhD, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

1 Apr 2025

Terahertz imaging reveals cochlear structures with high resolution

Researchers have discovered a groundbreaking use of terahertz (THz) imaging to visualize cochlear structures in mice, offering non-invasive, high-resolution diagnostics. By creating 3D reconstructions, this technology opens new possibilities for diagnosing hearing loss and other conditions.

27 Mar 2025

Transforming genetic deafness treatment with base editing

Congenital hearing loss refers to impaired auditory function that occurs due to genetic causes. GJB2 is the gene responsible for approximately half of all cases of hereditary hearing loss.

27 Mar 2025

Clinical trial of vaccine candidate to prevent Lassa fever begins enrollment

A National Institutes of Health (NIH)-sponsored clinical trial of a candidate vaccine to prevent Lassa fever has begun enrolling participants at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore.

17 Mar 2025

New flexible hearing aid offers non-invasive solution for conductive hearing loss

A study from researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine highlights a new approach in addressing conductive hearing loss. A team of scientists, led by Mohammad J. Moghimi, Ph.D., assistant professor of biomedical engineering, designed a new type of hearing aid that not only improves hearing but also offers a safe, non-invasive alternative to implantable devices and corrective surgeries.

13 Mar 2025

Study reveals key insights for preventing cytomegalovirus spread to fetuses

A new Weill Cornell Medicine and Oregon Health & Science University co-authored study provides critical insight for the development of a vaccine that can more effectively block the spread of cytomegalovirus, or CMV, across the placenta to babies before they are born.

12 Mar 2025

Understanding the benefits and risks of hyperbaric oxygen therapy

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is well known for treating scuba and deep-sea divers affected by the rapid change in pressure around them. But did you know that HBOT is also used to treat a variety of other health problems, including carbon monoxide poisoning and diabetic foot ulcers?

28 Feb 2025

New imaging tool reveals the brain's role in cochlea sensitivity

The brain may play a role in helping the ear regulate its sensitivity to sound and compensate for hearing loss by sending a signal to a structure in the inner ear known as the cochlea, according to a study that was just published in the Journal of Neuroscience.

24 Feb 2025

CMV infection found to worsen necrotizing enterocolitis in preterm infants

Researchers say they found that infection with a common virus that can be transmitted from mother to fetus before birth significantly worsens an often-fatal complication of premature birth called necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) in experiments with mice.

24 Feb 2025

Texas measles outbreak nears 100 cases, raising concerns about undetected spread

Some private schools have shut down because of a rapidly escalating measles outbreak in West Texas. Local health departments are overstretched, pausing other important work as they race to limit the spread of this highly contagious virus.

21 Feb 2025

The dangers of fraudulent diabetes products and how to avoid them

As the number of people diagnosed with diabetes continues to grow, an increasing number of products marketed under the guise of "dietary supplements" or "over-the-counter drugs" promising to prevent, treat, and even cure diabetes are being sold illegally.

21 Feb 2025