There are certainly a few well documented instances of sclerotic lesions directly obliterating sensory structures within the cochlea and spiral ligament, which have been photographed and reported post-mortem. Other supporting data includes a consistent loss of cochlear hair cells in patients with otosclerosis; these cells being the chief sensory organs of sound reception. A suggested mechanism for this is the release of hydrolytic enzymes into the inner ear structures by the spongiotic lesions. Diagnosis
Otosclerosis is traditionally diagnosed by characteristic clinical findings, which include progressive conductive
hearing loss, a normal tympanic membrane, and no evidence of middle ear inflammation. The cochlear promontory may have a faint pink tinge reflecting the vascularity of the lesion, referred to as the Schwartz sign.Approximately 0.5% of the population will eventually be diagnosed with otosclerosis. Post-mortem studies show that as many as 10% of people may have otosclerotic lesions of their temporal bone, but apparently never had symptoms warranting a diagnosis. Caucasians are the most affected race, with the prevalence in the Black and Asian populations being much lower. In clinical practice otosclerosis is encountered about twice as frequently in females as in males, but this does not reflect the true sex ratio. When families are investigated it is found that the condition is only slightly more common in women. Usually noticeable hearing loss begins at middle-age, but can start much sooner. The hearing loss was long believed to grow worse during pregnancy, but recent research does not support this belief.
Hyperchlorhydria, sometimes called chlorhydria, sour stomach or acid stomach,  refers to the state in the stomach where gastric acid levels are higher than the reference range. The combining forms of the name (chlor- + hydr-), referring to chlorine and hydrogen, are the same as those in the name of hydrochloric acid, which is the active constituent of gastric acid. In humans, the normal pH is around 1 to 3, which varies throughout the day. The highest basal secretion levels are in the late evening (around 12 A.M. to 3 A.M.). Hyperchlorhydria is usually defined as having a pH less than 2. It has no negative consequences unless other conditions are also present such as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).A cause for hyperchlorhydria is increased Gastrin production

See also
Achlorhydria
Hypochlorhydria


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