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Hearing Loss - Introduction
Hearing loss is a common condition. In the UK one in seven adults has a significant hearing loss. 55% of people over the age of 60 years and 93% of people over 80 have some degree of hearing loss. It is often due to the natural ageing process but it can also be caused by exposure to loud noise, illness in birth or childhood, hereditary problems, the toxic effects of some medicines, injury or trauma, and fluid, infection or middle ear problems. In some cases it can be a combination of these.
Hearing aids for the deaf and hearing impaired have developed a lot in recent years, becoming a lot smaller and unobtrusive than in previous years. The idea that hearing aids have to be ungainly and intrusive is a thing of the past, as recent advances in technology and production techniques have allowed size to be reduced considerably and clear, discreet materials to be used more widely.
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