Dr. Shiel received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors from the University of Notre Dame. There he was involved in research in radiation biology and received the Huisking Scholarship. After graduating from St. Louis University School of Medicine, he completed his Internal Medicine residency and Rheumatology fellowship at the University of California, Irvine. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.
Hearing loss, or deafness, can be
present at birth (congenital), or become evident later in life (acquired). The distinction between acquired and
congenital deafness specifies only the time that the deafness appears. It does
not specify whether the cause of the deafness is genetic (inherited).
Acquired deafness may or may not be
genetic. For example, it may be a manifestation of a delayed-onset form of
genetic deafness. Alternatively, acquired deafness may be due to damage to the
ear from noise.
Congenital deafness similarly may or may not be genetic. For example, it may
be associated with a white forelock, and be caused by a genetic disease called
Waardenburg syndrome. In fact, more
than half of congenital hearing loss is inherited. Alternatively, congenital
deafness may be due to a condition or infection to which the mother was exposed
during pregnancy, such as the rubella virus.
Hearing loss can also be classified based on which portions of the hearing
system (auditory system) are affected. When the nervous system is affected, it
is referred to as sensorineural hearing loss. When the portions of the ear that
are responsible for transmitting the sound to the nerves are affected, it is
referred to as conductive hearing loss.
Conditions that affect the ear canal, eardrum (tympanic membrane), and middle
ear lead to conductive hearing loss. Examples of conductive hearing loss
include:
Vertigo is a feeling of spinning movement, and at times accompanied by nausea and vomiting occur. Vertigo is most often associated with an inner ear problem. The treatment for vertigo can be lifestyle changes and medication if necessary.
Vitiligo is a condition in which the skin turns white due to the loss of pigment from the melanocytes, cells that produce the pigment melanin that gives the skin color.
Paget's disease is a chronic bone disorder due to irregular breakdown and formation of bone tissue. Symptoms of Paget's disease include bone pain, headaches and hearing loss, pressure on nerves, increased head size, hip pain, and damage to cartilage of joints.
Middle ear infection or inflammation (otitis media) is inflammation fo the middle ear. There are two types of otitis media, acute and chronic. Acute otitis media is generally short in duration, and chronic otitis media generally lasts several weeks. Seventy-five percent of children in the U.S. suffer from otitis media at some point. Treatment depends upon the type (chronic or acute).
Mumps is an acute viral illness caused by the mumps virus. Symptoms of mumps include fever, headache, muscle aches, tiredness, and loss of appetite; followed by swelling of the salivary glands.
Toxoplasmosis (toxo) is a parasitic infection that causes flulike symptoms, swollen lymph nodes, and muscle aches and pains that may last from a few days to several weeks. Toxoplasmosis can be contracted by touching the hands to the mouth after gardening, cleaning a cat's litter box, or anything that came into contact with cat feces. Toxoplasmosis can also be contracted by eating raw or partly cooked meat, especially pork or lamb, or touching the hands to the mouth after contact with raw or undercooked meat.
Bruxism is the medical term for teeth grinding. Bruxism may be caused by stress or anxiety and often happens during sleep. Symptoms and signs include jaw pain, headache, and abnormalities in your teeth. Treatment may involve practicing stress-management techniques, cutting back on caffeine and alcohol, avoiding gum chewing, training oneself not to grind the teeth, and wearing a mouth guard.
Meniere disease (idiopathic endolymphatic hydrops) is an inner ear disorder with symptoms that include vertigo, tinnitus, hearing loss, and the sensation of ear fullness. Diuretics, anti-vertigo, anti-nausea and low salt diets are the primary treatment for Meniere disease. Surgery may be recommended if the vertigo cannot be controlled with medication.
Cauliflower ear, or "Boxer's Ear" is caused by an injury to the ear, usually by blunt trauma from sports such as boxing, wrestling, or martial arts. When hematomas form, infection, and ear drum injury may occur in addition to hearing loss if not treated. Treatment goals are to drain blood from hematomas, treat infection, and at times antibiotics to prevent further infection.
Ear was is a natural substance secreted by special glands in the skin on the outer part of the ear canal. It repels water, and traps dust and sand particles. Usually a small amount of wax accumulates, dries up, and then falls out of the ear canal carrying with it unwanted particles. Under ideal circumstances, you should never have to clean your ear canals. The absence of ear wax may result in dry, itchy ears, and even infection. Ear wax may accumulate in the ear for a variety of reasons including; narrowing of the ear canal, production of less ear wax due to aging, or an overproduction of ear wax in response to trauma or blockage within the ear canal.
Learn about mitochondrial disease, genetic disease in which include a group of neuromuscular diseases that are caused by damage to the mitochondria Common mitochondrial myopathies include Kearns–Sayre syndrome, myoclonus epilepsy, and mitochondrial encephalomyopathy. Symptoms of mitochondrial disease include heart failure, exercise intolerance, dementia, muscle weakness, movement disorders, deafness, blindness, stroke-like episodes, and more. There is no specific treatment for mitochondrial disease.
Swimmer's ear (external otitis) is an infection of the skin that covers the outer ear canal. Causes of swimmer's ear include excessive water exposure that leads to trapped bacteria in the ear canal. Symptoms include a feeling of fullness in the ear, itching, and ear pain. Chronic swimmer's ear may be caused by eczema, seborrhea, fungus, chronic irritation, and other conditions. Common treatment includes antibiotic ear drops.
There are three types of Usher (Usher's) syndrome, the most common condition that affects both vision and hearing. The major symptoms of Usher syndrome include retinitis pigmentosa (night-blindness and a loss of peripheral vision), and hearing loss. Usher syndrome is a genetic condition. There is no cure for Usher syndrome.
Canavan disease is an inherited genetic disorder that typically causes death before 10 years of age. Signs and symptoms of the disease include developmental delays, loss of muscle tone, enlargement of the head, and severe feeding problems. The disease is most prevalent in the Ashkenazi Jewish population. There is no treatment for the disease.
Noise-induced hearing loss may be an acoustic trauma (temporary hearing loss), or permanent due to an acute acoustic trauma. Experts agree that continual exposure to more then 85 dBs (decibels) is dangerous to the ears. Ear plugs and ear muffs can help prevent noise-induced hearing loss as well as decreasing exposure to loud noises.
Landau-Kleffner syndrome (LKS, infantile acquired aphasia, acquired epileptic aphasia, or aphasia with convulsive disorder), a childhood disorder that occurs between the ages of 3 and 7, is characterized by the sudden loss of speech, epileptic seizures, depression, hyperactivity, and aggressiveness.
Pendred syndrome, a genetic disorder that causes hearing loss. Generally, the hearing loss is affected in early childhood. Pendred syndrome also affects other parts fo the body (for example, the thyroid gland). Treatment is generally cochlear ear implants.
American Sign Language (ASL) is a complete, complex language that employs signs made with the hands and other movements, including facial expressions and postures of the body. No one form of sign language is universal. For example, British Sign Language (BSL) differs notably from ASL. Different sign languages are used in different countries or regions.
What is the importance of noise-induced hearing loss?
The industrial and technological revolution may have
propelled society to higher levels of achievement, but this progress has also
made the world a noisier place in which to live. In fact, noise pollution is a
growing health hazard and can be found almost everywhere. Car alarms, leaf
blowers, gunshots, boom boxes, and traffic congestion fill our cities with decibels (the measure of sound intensity). Escaping to the country may not provide a quiet refuge, and even farmers are at high risk for exposure to noise from their farm machinery.
What's more, potentially harmful noise is not necessarily unpleasant or unwanted. For example, the music at a concert and the pounding of a jackhammer on the street can be equally damaging to the inner ear. The reason for this is that any sounds (acoustic energies) delivered with equal intensity, regardless of their source, are equally dangerous. Eventually, continued ...
Hearing RSS
Healthy Living Tips
