A cold virus can cause hearing loss

In Michael Berkeley’s case, a cold virus had travelled to his inner ear, causing swelling, compressing and damaging the nerves (picture posed by model)

The concert at the Royal Albert Hall promised to be a wonderful evening, but a short way into the performance of the British National Orchestra of Wales, Michael Berkeley fled his seat in despair.

He had recently lost most of his hearing as a result of a cold virus, and now the composer and Radio 3 presenter was struggling to cope with his new hearing aids: loud, percussive notes were distorted, chords sounded as if they clashed, and the lightness of the flute was completely lost. It was a devastating moment for a man whose life has revolved around music: Michael has been composing music since the age of six; his father was a composer and, as a child, he sang for his godfather Benjamin Britten. Yet his hearing could possibly have been saved had he been swiftly referred for specialist treatment. Sadly, when he complained of sudden hearing loss, not one but two GPs both dismissed the condition as a temporary complication of a cold. In fact, Michael had sensorineural hearing loss, which can be caused by damage to the hair cells in the cochlea (inner ear) or to the hearing nerve — or both. In his case, a cold virus had travelled to his inner ear, causing swelling, compressing and damaging the nerves. What distinguishes sensorineural hearing loss from the blocked-up feeling you get with a cold is that the hearing suddenly disappears completely, usually in one ear, but possibly in both.

It needs speedy treatment with steroids to reduce inflammation. As soon as the nerves are compressed, they start to die, explains Myles Black, a consultant ear, nose and throat (ENT) and thyroid surgeon at East Kent University Hospital. However, there is concern that patients could be needlessly losing their hearing because GPs aren’t properly trained to diagnose sensorineural hearing loss. The average length of time trainee doctors spend in the ENT department is just one and a half weeks, according to a survey published in the Journal of Laryngology and Otology.

So GPs may dismiss sudden hearing loss as another form of deafness, known as conductive hearing loss which is usually caused by a blockage — such as a build-up of excess ear wax or fluid from an ear infection. Unlike sensorineural hearing, it may clear spontaneously or can be treatable through medication or surgery.

In Michael Berkeley’s case, a cold virus had travelled to his inner ear, causing swelling, compressing and damaging the nerves. Michael’s problems began in August 2010, when he developed a chesty cold. One morning he awoke at his farmhouse in Wales to find the hearing in his right ear had suddenly disappeared.

He says: ‘It was like being in a soundproofed room. It was terrifying. ’I relied on this ear because as a child I’d suffered with a middle ear infection in my left ear, which had reduced my hearing by about 20 per cent. ‘Now I couldn’t hear a thing in my right ear and the hearing in my left ear was worse, too. ’I began to panic — how on earth was I supposed to compose and listen to music if I couldn’t hear? I felt like a painter who was going blind.’ He went to his GP straight away but the problem was dismissed as a temporary after effect of his cold and Michael was prescribed drops to clear his ear. When these failed to work, he saw another GP in London ten days later — only again to be given drops and told it would soon clear up.

A simple way for a GP to establish whether someone has sensorineural hearing loss is to use a tuning fork. This is placed in the middle of the forehead. The patient is then asked in which ear the sound is louder — if hearing is normal, the sound will be heard equally between the two. Michael was offered no such test and his hearing loss had a ‘devastating effect’, he recalls.‘I was trying to compose a piece for the Nash Ensemble, one of Britain’s finest chamber music groups, but it was so difficult. ‘And I remember being mortified sitting next to Sandra Howard (wife of ex-politician Michael) at a dinner and just nodding because I couldn’t hear a word she was saying.

‘I should have gone to see a specialist, but I’d been told by two doctors it would clear up.’ Six weeks after he first lost his hearing, Michael wrote an article about the battle to compose music with a blocked ear. This came to the attention of John Graham, a surgeon at the Royal National Throat, Nose and Ear Hospital in London, who contacted Michael to say he thought he’d been misdiagnosed — the problem was nerve damage in his inner ear. Michael then underwent an audiogram examination to test his ability to hear different tones and loudness — the results confirmed the diagnosis. Michael was prescribed steroids to try and reduce the swelling pressing on the nerves, but was told it was likely the nerves had been damaged for too long to respond. ‘If there is nerve damage, it’s likely to happen within the first two weeks or less of having a cold,’ explains Mr Graham. ‘That’s why doctors need to react quickly. By the time I saw Michael, he’d suffered from the problem for two months.’ The drugs made no difference and Michael had no choice but to accept he’d need a hearing aid. ‘I was so angry. Why hadn’t the GPs I’d seen known that I might need steroid treatment? ‘Doctors have a lot to contend with, but how could they not consider something as routine as this when so many people suffer from colds? ‘I was in a black despair. I remember saying to my wife, Deborah, I’ll never be able to listen to music again or hear the beauty of a full chord in an orchestra.’ Finding a hearing aid to suit his needs proved difficult, as devices are calibrated for speech rather than music. He now has one more suited to musical frequencies, but it took several months until he got used to using it. Astonishingly, throughout his trauma, Michael managed to compose. ‘I had no idea what my work would sound like, nor could I be any help to the conductor or musicians. What I heard when they played was still distorted. ’Or I’d miss some of the finer sounds. That’s why I left the Albert Hall so abruptly. ’I just couldn’t bear listening to music and hearing it in a way that didn’t truly represent what was being played. It was awful.’ However, his situation took a turn for the better at the beginning of 2012. Listening to a CD, Michael realised his hearing suddenly had more depth. Sounds were finer and clearer.

A consultation with David McAlpine, professor of auditory neuroscience at University College London, revealed Michael’s brain had gradually reprogrammed itself, based on the memories of music it already had stored and the adjustments it had to make to what it now heard. Michael still needs to keep the volume high when listening to the radio or television. If Deborah, a literary agent, has her back to him, he can’t hear what she says and he frequently misses the telephone or doorbell. He also finds it difficult in crowded company. However, his work remains in demand and Michael is currently composing a piece to mark the installation of the new Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby. ‘I try to make a virtue out of my loss by being punctilious about every single note. ‘If this happens to you, don’t be dismissed by a GP, but make sure you get referred to specialist care immediately. ’You need to see one as an emergency appointment. ‘Even if I can no longer enjoy music the way I did, at least by warning others I can ensure no one else ever suffers such a catastrophic loss.’

Anybody who might be concerned about their hearing, can avail of a free hearing test at any Hidden Hearing branch nationwide. You can book a hearing test free of charge at any of Hidden Hearing’s clinics. Visit www.hiddenhearing.org

Daniel tipped for Oscars!

Jan15 by Róisín FitzGerald

Veteran director Jim Sheridan has tipped two-time Academy Award winner Daniel Day-Lewis to make movie history and scoop an Oscar hat-trick. The Dublin native praised long-time friend Day-Lewis for his latest performance in historical biopic Lincoln – which yesterday secured him a coveted Golden Globe. ”If you were giving me bookies’ odds, I’d go with Lincoln and Daniel winning the Oscars,” Sheridan said.

The 63-year-old, who directed Day-Lewis in My Left Foot – which won the actor his first Oscar – said the star was “a force of nature”. ”When I was working with Daniel, it was like, this guy is so technically gifted,” he said. ”I don’t think there has ever been an actor like him.” Six-time Oscar nominee Sheridan was at the ticket launch of industry event Digital Biscuit – three days of talks and demonstrations on new digital film-making techniques.

Sheridan first directed Day-Lewis in the 1989 film My Left Foot – in which he played Irish writer and painter Christy Brown, who was born with cerebral palsy. They later worked together on In The Name Of The Father and The Boxer.

“Other actors say to me he’s better than anybody,” Sheridan said. ”I don’t know if he can be better than anybody, but he’s certainly technically so amazing. “Day-Lewis, who lives in Co Wicklow and holds both Irish and British citizenship, won his second best actor Oscar for There Will Be Blood in 2007.He has been nominated for a third gold statuette for his portrayal of US president Abraham Lincoln, who fought for the abolition of slavery during the American Civil War.

Another of President Lincoln’s many accomplishments was his supportive role in the founding of Gallaudet University, the collegiate department of Columbia Institution for the Deaf and Dumb and the Blind (its original name), which was created by an act of Congress. Its original charter was signed on February 16, 1857, by President Franklin Pierce. On April 8, 1864, towards the end of his first term and during the Civil War (on the same day that part of General Nathaniel Banks’ Union army was defeated by a Confederate force under Richard Taylor’s command at Sabine Crossroads in Mansfield, Louisiana), Lincoln signed the Enabling Act authorizing the Columbia Institution to grant postsecondary degrees—marking the first such opportunity for deaf students in the world. This wasn’t strictly necessary from a legalistic point of view, but was something that E. M. Gallaudet wanted for his fledgling school. To this day, the sitting President serves as patron of Gallaudet University, and Charter Day is celebrated annually on campus with a festive awards banquet.

Hearing loss happens gradually you may not even notice what you’re missing. The best thing you can do for yourself and your family is getting a free hearing evaluation from an audiologist to determine if you even have a hearing loss. If you do, at Hidden Hearing our friendly staff will guide through the path to better hearing.

Understanding Ushers Syndrome

Jan12 by Róisín FitzGerald

As part of a series of blogs looking at hearing related conditions, this week we will look at Usher Syndrome.

Usher syndrome is characterised by hearing loss, visual problems and problems with balance. The visual problems are due to a condition called retinitis pigmentosa, in which the retina slowly degenerates and gradually loses its ability to send images to the brain, resulting in a progressive loss in vision.

There are at least three types of Usher syndrome. Type 1 (USH1) and Type 2 (USH2) are the most common and account for up to 95 per cent of children with the condition.

Type 1: the child is profoundly deaf from birth. Hearing aids are usually of little help and sign language is used for communication. There are also severe problems with balance, so a child may be slow to sit unsupported and is often late learning to walk. Visual problems have usually started to develop by the age of ten – difficulty seeing in reduced light at night is often the first symptom. Deterioration in vision may be rapid and lead to complete blindness.

Type 2: the child usually has moderate to severe hearing problems from birth. Balance, however, is normal. Hearing aids may allow the child to cope within mainstream school and most can use speech and lip-reading for communication. Vision deteriorates more slowly than with Type 1, and problems may not begin until early adult life.

Type 3: hearing and sight are normal at birth, but both deteriorate at a rate that varies from person to person. Problems are usually evident by late teens, and by the time most people with Type 3 have reached their 40s they’re blind and have complete hearing loss.

Causes and risk factors

Between three and six per cent of all children with hearing difficulties have Usher syndrome. It affects about one in every 25,000 babies born in developed countries.
Usher syndrome is a genetic condition, inherited in an autosomal recessive fashion. This means a child will only develop the condition if they inherit two genes for it, one from each parent.
In most cases, each parent only carries one Usher syndrome gene, so they don’t have the condition and are often unaware they’re a carrier.
A number of different genes have been found that may contribute to Usher syndrome. These normally help the retina in the eye and the cochlea in the inner ear to work properly. In children with the condition, one or more of these genes is faulty.

Treatment and recovery

There’s no cure for Usher syndrome, but the earlier it’s diagnosed, the more can be done to help children lead as normal a life as possible.
Hearing aids and other communication technology, cochlear implants and specialised support at school may all help the child adjust to their disabilities.
Counselling may be helpful, particularly regarding future careers. Genetic counselling is important for the individual’s future plans for a family and for the rest of the family, too.
Gene therapy looks increasingly promising as a treatment for retinitis pigmentosa, but it’s still many years away.

Hidden Hearing and Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind recently announced a partnership which will see Hidden Hearing sponsor the training of a Guide Dog to help assist an individual who is blind, vision impaired or may have Usher Syndrome.

For more information on Usher Syndrome see: http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/hearing/pages/usher.aspx

New hearing loss project

Jan5 by Róisín FitzGerald

AT the end of December 2012, Action on Hearing Loss was delighted to launch its ‘In Touch’ project, funded by the Big Lottery Fund for five years.

The launch in Harvester House, Belfast, was attended by Peter Osborne, representing the Big Lottery Fund, as well as service users and volunteers from Action on Hearing Loss. This £500k funding from the Big Lottery Fund’s Reaching Out: Connecting Older People programme will allow us to provide befriending support for isolated older people with hearing loss across Northern Ireland.

Action on Hearing Loss identified through its ‘Hear to Help’ project that many people with hearing loss are isolated and would benefit from a befriender to help reduce isolation and risk and to increase confidence. We are currently recruiting volunteers to become befrienders for the project, including volunteers who are deaf or hard of hearing themselves.

If you know an older person who could benefit, they must be referred through a trusted contact eg a GP, social worker, local politician’s office or another charity. They can either be living in their own home or in residential care.

Source: Belfast Telegraph

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Monthly Archives: January 2013

A cold virus can cause hearing loss

Daniel tipped for Oscars!

Understanding Ushers Syndrome

New hearing loss project