March 3rd is World Hearing Day – established by the WHO to underline the importance and possible consequences of hearing problems, especially if not recognised, diagnosed and, therefore, adequately treated.
The University Hospital of Ferrara stands on the front line for all patients affected by these pathologies through the work of the professionals who work at the Otolaryngology / Audiology Operational Unit, led by prof. Stefano Pelucchi. In particular, the activity of the Audiology service is aimed at the diagnosis and therapy of pathologies of the external, middle and internal ear, hearing disorders in childhood and adults and language disorders related to auditory sensory deficits, as well as the balance problem / peripheral dizziness. Furthermore, the surgical activity of Audiology includes the treatment of pathologies of the middle ear, such as chronic ear infections and otosclerosis (a pathology which manifests itself with a decline in hearing which worsens over time and which can also lead to deafness), deafness of medium-severe degree (implantable prostheses) and profound deafness (cochlear implant).
The AUSL Company of Ferrarain sector 6 of the House of Health Citadel San Roccoactively collaborates in the diagnosis of hearing pathologies in adults and children, offering both a morning and afternoon service.
SOME DATA. Ferrara Audiology carries out approximately 5 thousand evaluations on adults and 2 thousand on pediatrics every year. According to WHO estimates, approximately 5% of the world‘s population is affected by hearing loss and, according to the same estimates, by 2050, one in four people will be affected. In recent years the greatest alarm is represented by the growing exposure to noise, known in the workplace and recently increased especially in recreational environments (see inadequate use of headphones/earphones at high volume).
In Italy there are an estimated 7 million people with hearing problems, corresponding to 12.1% of the population. In our country, hearing loss affects one in three people over 65, while a permanent hearing deficit occurs in 1-3 births out of a thousand and is present in 4-5 children out of a thousand aged 5. Precisely for this reason the The Emilia-Romagna Region has given particular attention to neonatal hearing screening and the clinical and organizational path for children suffering from hearing impairment. Starting from 1 January 2012, hearing screening will be carried out in all birth centers in Emilia-Romagna, with excellent territorial coverage with values well above the internationally recommended threshold, and with an incidence of hearing loss of approximately 3.8 every 1,000 children (data referring to 2016). The diagnoses of hearing loss made include not only cases of severe and profound hearing loss but also the milder and unilateral forms which may require close surveillance before a rehabilitative prosthetic intervention.