Hearing impairment is one of the most common abnormalities that cause incapacity or incomplete hearing in a population comprising approximately 5% of people worldwide. Looking at this problem prognostically and based on the data at hand, there is a systematic increase in the number of people with damage to this sense, which is a cause of increasing social costs [1]. It therefore represents a significant population problem, both in adults and children. The type of hearing impairment is a consequence of the location of the cause, i.e. where the damage has occurred (outer ear, middle ear, inner ear or further aural pathway). Early detection, especially in newborns and infants, many times allows early intervention and reduction of developmental deficits associated with auditory limitation [2].

The vast majority of hearing damage is sensorineural, or sensory-nerve damage, which is the result of lesions and abnormalities within the inner ear (including the organ of Corti, the spiral ganglion or auditory nerve fibres). Hearing impairment can be traced back to genetics, when it is caused by a mutation in a gene that synthesises a protein crucial to the structure and function of the inner ear. In neonates, genetic hearing loss is estimated to affect 50-60% of cases.

In addition to genetic factors, age and age-related factors are the most common causes of hearing impairment and damage. ARHL - age-related hearing loss, NIHL - noise-induced hearing loss are 2 entities describing the determinants of hearing damage in adults. The first relates directly to age, the second to damage associated with noise exposure, but both have a complex aetiology and can have both genetic and environmental determinants. Their characteristic feature is that they arise, building up over time with the progression of hearing loss over the years [1].

When a hearing loss is suspected, a detailed diagnosis is necessary. The tests that are used to determine the depth of impairment, its type and where the damage occurred are divided into 2 types. The first group are psychophysical tests, which include tonal audiometry or verbal audiometry. The second group are objective tests, such as impedance audiometry, acoustic otoemission or auditory potentials [3].

It is almost impossible to treat sensorineural hearing loss today, the reason being the degradation of important structural elements for this sense that are not subject to regeneration processes.

The solution proposed by medicine may lie in nanoparticles, which can be used as a drug carrier, encapsulating the chemical in question. In the context of noise-induced hearing loss, specialists are looking to antioxidant drugs to reduce the effects of oxidative stress, and in the case of profound deafness, the only solution for now is to 'replace' the damaged component of the hearing system. We are talking abouta cochlear implant as a substitute for the organ of Corti, although the approach to this in the opinion of many scientists is critical. In perspective, the management of hearing impairment may require the personalisation of treatment, which means medicine tailored to the individual needs of a given patient, which, based on a specific genome, will provide individualised solutions [1].