Hearing Loss? Who Nose?
As ongoing research reveals more about the causes and effects of hearing loss, the good news is that more effective treatments can be developed and implemented to better help those who struggle daily as a result of their hearing problems.
The newest development in research on hearing problems has revealed that the nose may have a lot more to do with the ears than has previously been thought.
Researchers at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Australia have found that nasal stem cells injected into the inner ear can potentially restore hearing to those suffering from early onset sensorineural hearing loss. The experiment, conducted by injecting adult human stem cells into the ears of mice, found that the stem cells release chemical substances that preserve the function of cochlear hearing cells without becoming part of the inner ear tissue. Hearing was not restored completely, but the mice injected with the adult human nasal stem cells definitely showed improvement.
The findings have given hope for a new kind of treatment for hearing loss, but further experimentation is needed, and human testing may be more than 10 years away. If treatment with this method becomes successful, it could also be used to treat different types hearing loss in children, single sided deafness, and tinnitus.
New research such as this highlights the innovations which are constantly taking place in scientific experiments. While research is a long and costly process, the benefits are invaluable in the long term if it means that hearing loss can be prevented or partially restored.
Currently, hearing loss can be managed through a number of different technologies, such as a traditional hearing aid, bone conduction implant, or cochlear implant. These technologies continue to improve the lives of thousands and offer patients the latest in hearing loss treatment options.
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