Veteran Bollywood singer Alka Yagnik has revealed that she is suffering from a rare sensory hearing loss
Singer Alka Yagnik has revealed that she has been diagnosed with a “rare sensory hearing loss”.
She wrote on her social media handle: “It has been diagnosed by my docs as a rare sensory nerve hearing loss, due to a viral attack…This sudden, major setback has caught me completely unawares. As I attempt to come to terms with it, please keep me in your prayers.”
Sudden sensorineural hearing loss is caused by viruses like Herpes, Varicella, and Mumps or sudden loud exposure to noise levels above 85 decibel (dB). Hearing loss is often associated with viral flu and seen commonly in children. It occurs due to inflammation or swelling to the inner ear or the nerve pathways that transmit sound from the ear to the brain. It usually occurs in only one ear and affects both ears in less than 1% of cases.
Acute hearing loss is curable in most cases, if treatment is started early, says Dr. Noor-Ul-Din Malik, consultant ENT surgeon, at Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, New Delhi. “It is advisable to rush to an ENT specialist as soon as someone notices hearing impairment and treatment includes antivirals, oral and intratympanic steroids,” he said.
Ear examination is part of the evaluation process to eliminate other causes of hearing loss like wax accumulation, infections and tympanic membrane perforation. Audiometry tests help in measuring the degree of hearing loss.
