2024-01-15-世界卫生组织-Ear_and_hearing_care_28页_5mb

Summary of Ear and Hearing Care

Core Content

This document outlines the global situation of hearing loss and the World Health Organization (WHO) initiatives aimed at addressing it. It emphasizes the importance of ear and hearing care in public health, the impact of hearing loss on individuals and societies, and the need for prevention, early intervention, and systemic support.

Key Statistics

• 1.5 billion people globally live with hearing loss, which is nearly 20% of the population.
• 430 million people have disabling hearing loss.
• 80% of people with disabling hearing loss live in low- and middle-income countries.
• 65% of adults over 60 years of age experience hearing loss, with 25% having disabling hearing loss.
• Over 1 billion young people are at risk of permanent hearing loss due to noise exposure in leisure activities.

Causes of Hearing Loss

Hearing loss can be caused by a variety of factors, many of which are preventable:

• Intrauterine infections (e.g., rubella, cytomegalovirus)
• Birth asphyxia or hypoxia
• Low birth weight (<1,500 g)
• Ear infections (e.g., otitis media)
• Loud sounds (e.g., music through headphones, fireworks, explosions)
• Ototoxic medicines (e.g., certain antibiotics, anti-malarials, anti-cancer drugs)
• Head or ear injuries
• Excess ear wax or foreign bodies

Impact of Hearing Loss

Unaddressed hearing loss can have serious consequences across various aspects of life:

• Speech and Language Development: Delays can hinder learning and communication.
• Cognition: Hearing loss in children can delay cognitive development and is the largest potentially modifiable risk factor for age-related dementia.
• Social Isolation & Mental Health: Hearing loss can lead to social withdrawal, embarrassment, and higher rates of depression.
• Education: Reduced school performance, higher risk of dropping out, and lower likelihood of pursuing higher education.
• Economy: Hearing loss affects social and economic development, leading to financial costs from exclusion from communication, education, and employment.
• Public Health: Unaddressed hearing loss costs the world nearly $1 trillion annually.

Prevention and Early Intervention

Prevention

• Immunization
• Antenatal and prenatal care
• Avoiding ototoxic medicines unless prescribed and monitored
• Healthy ear care habits
• Effective treatment of ear conditions
• Reducing exposure to loud sounds in both occupational and recreational settings

Early Intervention

• Use of hearing aids, cochlear implants, and other assistive technologies
• Development of lip-reading skills and sign language
• Use of captioning and other communication tools

Early Identification

• Implementing systematic universal hearing screening for newborns, children, and older adults
• Early detection and intervention can limit adverse impacts

Case Studies

• Patrick (Uganda): Born deaf in a remote area with no access to sign language education. His life improved dramatically after receiving sign language training.
• Paolo (Canada): Diagnosed with severe-to-profound bilateral hearing loss as an infant. Early intervention with hearing aids and support enabled him to attend mainstream school and pursue higher education.

Key Challenges

• Lack of policies and integrated systems for ear and hearing care
• Limited human resources (specialists and trained non-specialists)
• Misconceptions and stigma around hearing loss
• Inaccessible products and services for ear and hearing care

WHO Actions and Initiatives

• Global Database: To track and share data on the scale and impact of hearing loss.
• Support Member States: To develop and integrate ear and hearing care programmes into primary health care.
• Technical Resources: Provide evidence-based tools and guidance for training health workers and integrating services.
• Guidelines Development: Address preventable causes of hearing loss.
• Awareness Campaigns: Raise awareness on hearing loss, prevention, identification, and management.

Make Listening Safe Initiative

• Aims to prevent noise-induced hearing loss.
• Goals include:
  • Creating evidence-based standards
  • Raising awareness
  • Investing in research
• Safe Listening Standards: Recommend 80 dB for 40 hours per week to avoid hearing damage.

hearWHO App

• A free WHO app using validated digits-in-noise technology.
• Available in Chinese, Dutch, English, Russian, Spanish.
• Also available as hearWHOpro for health workers to check hearing in the community.

World Hearing Day

• Observed on 3 March annually.
• WHO develops themes and advocacy materials to raise awareness globally.
• Materials are translated and used in events and activities.

World Hearing Forum

• A WHO-hosted global network of stakeholders advocating for ear and hearing care.
• Open to governmental and non-governmental organizations, including disabled people's groups, private sector entities, and academic institutions.
• Aims to achieve a world where no person experiences hearing loss due to preventable causes and those with hearing loss can achieve their full potential through early identification and management.