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5 Facts You Probably Don’t Know About Hearing Loss Among

Veterans

Missing appendages, post-traumatic

stress, and brain trauma: These are

what many people think of when they

think about post-combat injuries. What

many often don’t consider is hearing loss

as a severe combat injury. Check out

these 5 surprising facts about hearing

loss among veterans to learn more.

The most common post-service

malady happens to be hearing damage or loss. – Hearing loss beats out PTSD (post-

traumatic stress disorder) as the number one service-connected disability. Severe

hearing loss is commonly caused by bomb detonations and general military and

combat noise. Tinnitus and hearing loss, both short- and long-term, are also often

caused by loud engines of war such as planes, warships, and combat tanks as well as

loud weapons and bombs. Veterans of the post-9/11 conflicts are the most affected

population in terms of hearing loss. Indeed, the numbers of soldiers who suffered

hearing loss or tinnitus after the attacks on the World Trade Center swelled to

414,000.

Soldiers are more likely to suffer hearing damage than civilians. – Veterans are 30

percent more likely than nonveterans to suffer hearing loss of the severe kind. Even

more concerning is that among those who served from September 2001 to March

2010, veterans were four times more like to suffer hearing loss than nonveterans.

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Hearing loss may be more prevalent now than it was for soldiers in the past. –

Larger and louder weapons technology very likely contributes to higher numbers of

veterans with hearing loss. Intensely loud field generators, bombs such as “bunker

busters,” and even modern helicopters can cause hearing impairment if soldiers don’t

take precautions.

Many veterans suffering from hearing impairment don’t seek medical help right

away. – Experts say that too few returning soldiers who suffer tinnitus or hearing loss

go to a hearing specialist or audiologist upon returning home – they often live simply

live with the problem. In fact, most people will wait an average of 7 years from

initially noticing hearing loss to actually seeking medical attention.

Breakthroughs in neuroscience may help those who suffer severe tinnitus. – Some

scientists assert that low serotonin levels may be linked to how severe a person’s

tinnitus can be. Low serotonin can cause insomnia, depression, and anxiety.

Fortunately, with the help of tinnitus therapies and antidepressants, some veterans

have found relief from severe tinnitus.