Bollywood singer Alka Yagnik diagnosed with ‘rare hearing loss' due to viral attack
Chandigarh, June 18
Renowned playback singer Alka Yagnik recently shared an update from her life on social media.
The artist has been diagnosed with a rare sensory neural nerve hearing loss caused by a viral attack.
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In her heartfelt Instagram post, the Bollywood singer revealed that the issue began suddenly a few weeks ago after she walked out of a flight and experienced a significant loss of hearing. The singer bravely took her time to process the diagnosis before deciding to speak out.
‘Having mustered some courage in the weeks following the episode, I want to break my silence now for all my friends and well wishers who have been asking me why I’m missing in action.
‘It has been diagnosed by my docs as a rare sensory neural nerve hearing loss, due to a viral attack…This sudden, major setback has caught me completely unawares. As I attempt to come to terms with it please keep me in your prayers,’ Alka wrote. She also cautioned her fans and younger colleagues about the dangers of exposure to very loud music and the frequent use of headphones, highlighting the potential health risks associated with her professional life.
Yagnik, popular for songs such as “Ek Do Teen”, “Kuch Kuch Hota Hai” and “Gali Mein Aaj Chand Nikla”, asked her fans and followers to send their best wishes and keep her in their prayers.
Singers Ila Arun and Sonu Nigam responded to Alka’s post. Ila conveyed her heartfelt sorrow and said, ‘I’m deeply saddened to hear this, Dearest Alka. With blessings and today’s best doctors, you’ll recover soon, and we’ll hear your lovely voice again.’
Sonu said, ‘I had a feeling something was wrong… I’ll visit you once I return… May you recover quickly by God’s grace.’
Actress Poonam Dhillon also sent her love and support, saying, ‘Sending you so much love and countless prayers and blessings. You will receive all the healing power of love and soon be your beautiful, healthy self again. Love you.’
Alka’s fans also filled the comments section with wishes for her speedy recovery.
As the news spread, questions rose over what could have suddenly struck the singer, one of Bollywood’s best known, and what happens next.
The condition is reversible, said Dr Suresh Singh Naruka, senior consultant, ENT, at Delhi’s Apollo Hospitals.
“The sooner you report to the doctor and start the treatment, the higher the chances you can get your organ functioning back,” Naruka said.
The ear, like any other organ, can experience failure leading to a sudden loss in hearing, explained Naruka.
“The sudden failure of the ear is called sudden sensory neural hearing loss… Virus is one such reason.
“Sometimes, without any reason or maybe because of poor blood supply, one can have sudden hearing loss…. Virus, idiopathic (unknown cause), or sometimes a tumour, there are so many reasons one has sudden organ failure that can cause severe hearing loss in sometimes in one ear or both,” Naruka said.
If it is a sudden hearing loss, the standard regime is to give steroids.
“It can be administered orally and intratympanic, in which case steroid injections are given directly into the ear to stimulate the organ again.
“Then, there is the hyperbaric oxygen therapy, which treats medical conditions by supplying 100 per cent oxygen with a little more pressure inside a specialised chamber,” Naruka said.
Asked if Yagnik’s condition deteriorated due to overexposure of sound as a singer, Naruka said sudden loss of hearing can’t be career specific.
“We understand the world by three senses: hearing, vision and touch. After these come the other two senses of taste and smell, but they are not as important as the first three. To communicate better in the world, we need good hearing, vision and good understanding of touch.”
As a precaution, however, Naruka asked people to avoid noise pollution or trauma.
“Using hearing devices like bluetooth, iPods, and loudspeakers for longer periods of time can give you sudden hearing loss. A viral fever and/or an ear infection can lead to hearing loss. We must avoid sound exposure for sure,” he added. —with PTI inputs
