Deafness research UK is the catalyst for new thinking in hyperacusis

Deafness Research UK is sponsoring a pioneering meeting on hyperacusis, to be organised by the Audiology Department at the Royal Surrey County Hospital on Monday 25 October. Deafness Research UK’s sponsorship now ensures that top experts from around the country specialising in psychoacoustics, physics, neurophysiology and audiology, are able attend – offering them a unique opportunity to lecture at the seminar which brings together some of our top scientific research talent.

About Deafness Research UK

  • Deafness Research UK is the country’s leading charity dedicated to finding new cures, treatments and technologies for deaf, hard of hearing and other hearing impaired people.
  • The charity supports high quality medical research into the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of all forms of hearing impairment including tinnitus.
  • Deafness Research UK is entirely dependent on voluntary donations, gifts and personal legacies. You can donate online at www.deafnessresearch.org.uk , or call 0207 7833 1733 for further information on how to support the charity. 
  • The Deafness Research UK Advisory Service provides free information and advice based on the latest scientific evidence and is informed by leading experts in hearing research. The Advisory Service can be contacted on Freephone 0808 808 2222.          
  • For more information on research into deafness, tinnitus and other hearing conditions, log on to the website at www.deafnessresearch.org.uk where you can access a wide range of information. Alternatively you can e-mail Deafness Research UK at info@deafnessresearch.org.uk
  • One in seven people in the UK – almost nine million people - suffer hearing loss.
  • Deafness Research UK was founded in 1985 by Lord (Jack) and Lady Ashley of Stoke.
  • In January 2008, Action for Tinnitus Research (ATR) was linked with Deafness Research UK under a uniting direction order under section 96(6) of the Charities Act 1993. About hyperacusis

    • As many as 90% of people with Williams' Syndrome may experience hyperacusis. Aversion to particular sounds can be observed in 40% of those people with communication disorders or autistic features.
    • A Deafness Research UK study suggests that in childhood, 6% of the general population may suffer oversensitivity to noise. The prevalence in the general adult population is around 7-8%.
    • There are a number of treatment strategies for hyperacusis, but most will involve learning to understand the kind of noise that can trigger pain/anxiety alongside a process of auditory desensitisation.
    • Find out more at www.deafnessresearch.org.uk/1630/hyperacusis/what-is-hyperacusis.html     ENDS “Our hyperacusis seminar provides an opportunity to develop ideas regarding the causes, assessment and management of hyperacusis. In addition, it encourages first class scientists to get involved in hyperacusis research.”

    Hashir Aazh, Research Audiologist at the Royal Surrey County Hospital said: “Hyperacusis can severely affect on quality of life of the sufferer. I have many clients who had to keep changing their jobs because they couldn’t cope with their office noises. I had clients who moved from one house to another due to noisy roads and neighbours. I also had clients who could no longer go out with their friends and family as they couldn’t cope with social and recreational noises. “Hyperacusis treatments (i.e., retraining therapy as well as cognitive behavioural therapy) have a great success rate and help patients to overcome to this problem. Most of the patients will recover after six months of therapy. However, due to absence of a well-developed standardised assessment tool, undertaking rigorous research studies (i.e., randomised controlled trials, RCT) are not appropriate. This is the main reason for the fact that there are not many RCTs conducted regarding the effect of any therapeutic approach for hyperacusis so far. Dr Rachel MacDonald, Research Development Manager at Deafness Research UK, said: “Hyperacusis doesn’t get a lot of headlines, but it is a debilitating condition for those suffering from this over-sensitivity to noise. Our research strategy strongly encourages groups of professionals to exchange ideas and to share best practice, to ensure maximised benefits for patients. We look forward to hearing the outcomes from the day and passing this information onto our supporters”.

    Key speakers are Professor Brian Moore, Professor of Auditory Perception at the Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Cambridge, and Professor Colette McKay, Chair in Applied Hearing Research at Manchester University. Practitioners attending will be focusing on a number of topics, including:

    • Loudness perception: Mechanisms of normal function and their breakdown
    • Noise exposure: Does it alter tolerance to sounds?
    • The efferent system and our response to loud noises
    • Vestibular hyperacusis: the effect of noise on balance
    • Audiological assessment and management of hyperacusis 

      Hyperacusis is the medical term used to describe abnormal discomfort caused by sounds that are tolerable to listeners with normal hearing. Many people who experience hyperacusis have no detectable hearing loss, although it can be linked with other hearing problems such as tinnitus and Ménière's Disease. Hyperacausis is an elusive phenomenon. Because it is a subjective experience, it cannot be measured directly and is therefore very difficult to study. The day will review the current research into loudness perceptions, the mechanisms of normal function and how these can break down. It hopes to provoke new ideas about the causes and treatments for hyperacusis and will also cover at the clinical aspects of hyperacusis in both adults and children.

    Press enquiries: Jon Gardner, BeyondPR. www.beyondpr.co.uk Mobile 07930 697773. Direct line 0114 275 6996. e-mail: jon.gardner@beyondpr.co.uk  Ref: DRUK0310 – Hypercusis Seminar 2010www.deafnessresearch.org.uk

Last updated on 22nd December 2011
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