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Hearing is the sensory modality for detecting, perceiving, and localizing sound waves. Sound waves enter the external auditory canal and cause the ear drum to vibrate. These vibrations are transmitted to the hearing organ embedded inside the ear canal, and sensory neurons encode the information to be sent to the brain. The presence of two ears enables the individual to localize the approximate source of the sound. Damage to one ear will lead to loss of this function, but not to hearing impairment.
Hearing loss progressively occurs with age, and is more prevalent in men who typically have higher blood pressures than women. Other causes of hearing loss may include listening to loud sounds, trauma to the ear, or tumors.
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