It has been a long time since wearing a mask has become a daily routine due to the prolonged
Corona 19 . However, research has shown that wearing a mask significantly lowers language recognition in people with hearing loss. This is because the shape of the mouth of the speaker is covered, so the distortion of sound is higher than that of ordinary people. Those who used hearing aids before the Corona 19 epidemic and lived without much difficulty also appear and seem to need attention. A research team led by Professor Shim Hyun-joon of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology at Nowon Eulji University Hospital announced on the 14th that this was the result of evaluating the effect of wearing a KF94
mask on language cognition for those who wear hearing aids due to hearing loss . Hearing loss refers to a condition in which it is difficult to hear words or sounds. When sound enters through the ear, it reaches the brain through the eardrum, cochlea, and auditory nerve, and if there is a problem in this process, hearing loss occurs. The research team measured language cognition in a noisy environment with and without KF94 masks on 24 hearing-impaired people and 26 normal people using hearing aids . As a result, regardless of the listener’s hearing ability or the level of ambient noise, the speaker’s speech perception was all reduced due to wearing a mask.
In particular, the normal group showed a difference of 5.2 points in language cognition according to whether or not they wore a mask, whereas the hearing loss group showed a larger gap at 7.2 points. The negative effect of wearing a mask was much greater in the hearing loss group.
In the same deaf group, language recognition improved even more when they wore hearing aids. In particular, the effect of improving language cognition by wearing a hearing aid was 4.3 points when wearing a mask , which was greater than 2.4 points when not wearing a mask. In other words, it has been proven that hearing aids not only improve speech recognition but also partially compensate for the sound distortion effect caused by masks.
Professor Shim said, “Compared to people with hearing loss, people with hearing loss have a disadvantage in understanding the words of a speaker wearing a mask, but the sound distortion caused by the mask can be compensated for by using only hearing aids.” In other words, the research team’s interpretation is that even in an environment where a person with a hearing loss wears only a hearing aid, they can communicate more smoothly.
Professor Shim advised, “The use of hearing aids is more recommended during the pandemic.”
The results of this research, sponsored by the National Research Foundation of Korea, were published in the December issue of Frontiers in Neuroscience, a renowned international journal in the field of brain science . covid 19
A number of studies have been published previously suggesting that wearing a mask during the pandemic can have a negative impact. There have also been research reports that the COVID -19 infection itself can affect hearing loss, including studies showing that 토토 wearing a mask negatively affects language development and socialization education in infants and toddlers . As wearing a mask has become commonplace since the COVID -19 epidemic, it is known that there are many cases in which patients with mild hearing loss, who did not normally feel great discomfort, become aware of their symptoms while experiencing difficulties in communication.
Meanwhile, the government and quarantine authorities plan to decide whether to lift the obligation to wear indoor masks by the end of this month. Discussion on the removal of indoor masks began in earnest when Daejeon City sent an official letter to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters earlier this month. It conveyed to the quarantine authorities the position that if the government does not lift the mandatory wearing of masks indoors, it will issue its own administrative order and implement it in January next year.
Minister of Public Administration and Security Lee Sang-min visited Daejeon on the 12th and said, “We will prepare and implement new quarantine guidelines regarding the obligation to wear masks indoors by the end of the year.” Daejeon City is also taking a step back, saying that it will wait until the government policy is decided at the end of the year.