A common disease affecting mostly children and older adults is meningitis. It is of two forms – viral and bacterial. They affect the parts of the body even long after infection. Hearing loss and meningitis are inter linked meningitis is the swelling of the meninges, a protective lining of the brain and spinal chord(forming the central nervous system). The disease is caused when a virus or bacteria enters the body. This alerts the immune system by inducing it to fight off by inflaming the area of the brain or spinal chord where the virus or bacteria is located. By proper diagnosis and treatment both these types of serious meningitis can be cured. The after effects of the disease, like hearing loss, are really damaging.
The Link
The link between hearing loss and meningitis is established because of the damage to the central nervous system, the brain and spinal chord. The central nervous system has control over normal vital functions like breathing, walking and hearing. The illness in the concerned parts has lasting effects on speech, eye sight and hearing. The bacterial mode of meningitis is the cause of hearing loss.
Treatment for Hearing Loss
Visit your care provider if you are affected by meningitis. Hearing tests will be conducted to assess the Quantum of hearing loss. Suggestions will be given on the type of hearing aids to be of use to you. If one ear is affected one aid will do and incase two ears are affected two hearing aids are needed. With advanced technology in medicine, hearing aids increase sounds which other wise could not be heard.
It will be really wonderful if meningitis does not leave any after effects. There is no other alternative except to live with hearing loss and manage it, if you are a victim of meningitis.
[tags]Meningitis, Viral Infection, Spinal Chord[/tags]