What prolong use of ear piece can do to your health- ENT Consultant

Prof. Titus Ibekwe, Consultant Surgeon, Ear,
Nose and Throat at the University of Abuja
Teaching Hospital, Gwagwalada, has warned that
cell phone addiction causes noise induced
hearing loss.
Ibekwe gave the warning in an interview with the
News Agency of Nigeria on Sunday in Abuja.
Similarly, he warned that the spill of noise from
cell phones could aggravate cardiovascular
diseases, hypertension and stroke as well as
cancer in later years.
He noted that this adverse effect was common
especially among young persons.
Ibekwe, who is also the National Secretary of
Otorhinolaryngological Society of Nigeria, noted
that often time youths use the gadget to play
music using ear piece for a very prolong time.
Otorhinolaryngology is a surgical subspecialty
within medicine that deals with conditions of the
ear, nose and throat, and related structures of
the head and neck.
According to him, prolong use of ear piece to
listen to music or any other sound from the
phone completely obstruct the ear canal and do
not allow escape of any of those sounds.
NAN reports that ear canal is a tube running
from the outer ear to the middle ear.
The ENT expert who described the practice as
very common and fashionable among the youth,
emphasised that some even go to bed with ear
piece for as long as six to seven hours, or while
working.
He condemned such addiction, describing it as
unhealthy.
Ibekwe advised: “If you must listen to music or
other sound you should use the ear phone within
a short period which is safer than the smaller
ones which pin into the eye canal.
“It is a common and fashionable practice among
youths, we realised that some of them wear ear
piece while sleeping or doing some work for as
long as six to seven hours, even some wear it
while crossing the express road.
“This can lead to noise induced hearing loss and
the problem with this type of hearing loss is that
rehabilitation and treatment is almost not
available. It is very difficult to manage.
“There are lots of proven or established cases of
noise induced hearing loss due to addiction of
cell phones.
“Most at times we find out in the patient that
hearing loss is the particular ear they often use
in answering calls like the left side.”
The consultant lamented that many children and
youths were so obsessed with cell phones
thereby using it to play games, watch films or
other entertainment for hours rather than utilising
the recreational aspect embedded in it.
Ibekwe, who likened such addiction to any other
addictions like drugs, smoking of cigarettes,
Indian hemp or other substances, decried that a
lot of adolescents were so addicted to the extent
of dependency.
He added that each time they are unable to grab
the phone to play game or access other
entertainment package their entire system would
be in crisis.
The ENT consultant surgeon further noted that
some parents are so addicted to the extent that
they save, curdle and care for it than they care
for their children.
He advised that in as much as cell phone has
been proven to be very necessary and useful to
augment life in its entirety like shortening time of
communication and enhances businesses,
among others, everything should be in
moderation.
Ibekwe called for concerted efforts of parents
and government, among other stakeholders, to
ensure moderation and proper usage of cell
phones to forestall inherent dangers associated
with prolong usage.
Besides, he underscored the need for parents to
take up the responsibility of monitoring and
discouraging their wards from getting addicted to
cell phones.
According to him, parents must ensure a lot of
regulations in their homes to prevent children
access to cell phones to the extent of addiction.
He explained that exposure to prolong noise from
cell phones could worsen hypertension and
stroke.
According to him, those that are predisposed to
hypertension and stroke should guard against
such exposure.
He said: “There is an established pathway in the
system that noise has proven to aggravate
toward what is called the neuroendocrine
partway.
“Noise can stimulate the neuroendocrine system
leading to excessive release of cortisol and
cathecolamines which aggravates cardiovascular
diseases.
“Cathecolamines are hormones that increase
noise pressure. It aggravate it secretion in the
body.
“So, those that are predisposed to hypertension
and stroke are worst of over too exposure to
noise.”
The expert also identified another adverse effect
of cell phone addiction as possible formation of
cancer at later years, but described this as
unestablished.
According to him, there are speculations of
radiation coming from cell phone possibly in
later years as having some adverse effects on
the users.
He said: “Radiation can predispose the possible
formation of cancer and malignancies.
“Though this is not established but very strong
and seriously been looked into because the level
of radiation that comes from these cell phones
are very amazing if you assess and impact on
it.”
Furthermore, the consultant surgeon advised
adults using cell phones to do it in moderation.
Ibekwe enjoined them to often time as possible
put their phones on speaker when answering
calls to prevent putting them closer to the head
or ear.
According to him, such practice will prevent the
risk of possible formation of cancer in future.
He also advised that the tool should be kept
away from having contact with our body as much
as possible and ensure they are switched off at
night due to radiation emanating from it.
Ibekwe said: “We need to switch off our cell
phones at night because of radiation that they
generate by so doing at least eight hours in the
night is completely off.
“We should also ensure we remove them from
our beds.”
Meanwhile, Ibekwe has appealed to the Federal
Government to ensure outright ban of smart
phones usage among underage children to
safeguard their future.
He noted that though it is impossible for
government to ban adults from cell phones
usage but have every right to protect children.
He noted that a lot of children that are exposed
or addicted to cell phones were ignorant of the
inherent dangers unlike adults.
Ibekwe specifically noted that young ones are
found of taking risk, describing them as been
driven by passion and emotions in whatever they
do.
According to him, if proactive step is not taking
considering the current trend by banning their
usage of cell phones their future will be
jeopardised as exposure to such tools could
make or mar their lives.
He specifically noted that some primary school
children often times carry smart phones given to
them by parents to school, describing it as an
avoidable distraction from their core purpose of
schooling.
According to him, the concerned parents will
often time claim that such tools are meant for
communication in case of any emergency and
eventualities, among other excuses, thereby
risking the consequence of such usage.
He noted that such could expose the children to
crime and other social vices.
The expert further urged concerned parents to
desist from such practice in order to ensure a
better future for their children and wards.