March 3rd of this year is the 26th National Ear Care Day, with the theme of "Healthy Listening, Barrier Free Communication". Listening is an important way for us to perceive the world, and paying attention to hearing health and protecting hearing is crucial for our lives. What is hearing loss? What are the causes of hearing loss? What are the treatment methods for hearing loss? How to avoid hearing loss in daily life? The reporter interviewed relevant experts. Hearing loss refers to varying degrees of hearing impairment caused by organic or functional lesions in the auditory conduction pathway According to Cha Dingjun, chief physician of the Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery at Xijing Hospital of Air Force Medical University, hearing loss is divided into three categories: conductive hearing loss, sensorineural hearing loss, and mixed hearing loss. Conductive hearing loss is mainly caused by diseases of the outer and middle ears, while sensorineural hearing loss is related to lesions of the inner ear and auditory nerves, and mixed hearing loss is a combination of both. The causes of hearing loss are diverse, mainly including genetic factors, ear trauma and inflammation, noise, ototoxic drugs, age factors, etc. Cha Dingjun introduced that commonly used intervention methods for hearing loss in clinical practice include drug therapy, fitting hearing aids, cochlear implantation, surgery, auditory rehabilitation training, etc. Acute sensorineural hearing loss, such as sudden deafness, is often treated primarily with medication; For conductive hearing loss, such as tympanic membrane perforation, otitis media, and middle ear tumors, surgical treatment can be performed. Hearing aids are suitable for patients with mild to severe hearing loss due to conductive hearing loss and sensorineural hearing loss. For severe and extremely severe sensorineural hearing loss caused by various reasons, cochlear implantation can be chosen. He Xingchen, an ear, nose, throat, head and neck surgeon at Xijing Hospital of Air Force Medical University, said that protecting hearing health is not only about seeking medical attention and early intervention, but also about preventing hearing loss. She suggested maintaining healthy lifestyle habits, following a regular schedule, and avoiding staying up late; Stay away from noise. If exposed to noise for a long time, wear soundproof earplugs and earmuffs; Reduce the use of headphones and follow the "60-60 principle", which means that the headphone volume should not exceed 60% of the maximum volume, and the duration of each headphone use should not exceed 60 minutes; Avoid using cotton swabs or other foreign objects to clean the ears. If there is a lot of earwax, you can go to the hospital and seek treatment from a specialist doctor; Avoid using ototoxic drugs such as streptomycin and gentamicin; Control hypertension, diabetes and other basic diseases. (New Society)