Black History of Health: Tank

Born Durrell Artaze Babbs, Tank got his start in the music industry by singing backup vocals for Ginuwine. After being introduced to and singing backup for Aaliyah, the singer went on to sign with Aaliyah’s record label Blackground Records. In 2001, Tank released his debut album, ‘Force of Nature’ to moderate interest. Though he released new albums consistently, it wasn’t until the tenth album that he was nominated for an American Music Award for Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist. On the other hand, he’s been nominated for a Grammy award three times. 

While Tank was excited to announce his tenth album, he also had another important revelation – he was going deaf. In a post on Instagram, he stated that he was rapidly losing hearing in his right ear and the left one wasn’t far behind. Despite getting confirmation from doctors, he wasn’t sure what was causing the issue. He pledged, however, to do whatever it took to stop or reverse it. When he appeared at the Soul Train Awards in 2022, he gave an update on his condition. Though he’d lost hearing completely in his right ear, he was still able to hear with his left. 

What Is Hearing Loss?

Hearing loss is defined as not being able to hear at the specific threshold of 20 decibels. From there, hearing loss is further categorized as being mild, moderate, severe, or profound.

People with mild hearing loss may have trouble hearing someone speak in a noisy room while those who have moderate levels of hearing loss are likely to need a hearing aid.

Those with severe hearing loss will hear very little and profound hearing loss means you won’t be able to hear anything at all. That last level is usually where someone is described as being hearing impaired or deaf. 

Some of the causes of hearing loss include damage to the inner ear, a ruptured ear drum, the buildup of earwax, and abnormalities in the ear’s structure.

Additionally, certain medications like chemotherapy drugs can damage the inner ear. Some of the sure signs that your hearing is in jeopardy are constantly asking people to repeat what they’ve said, asking those around you to speak more slowly, and turning the television volume up to levels that others find intolerable.

How The Condition Is Diagnosed

To be diagnosed with hearing loss, your doctor will need to thoroughly examine you. Since there are illnesses that can affect your hearing, you might be checked for these as well. That list includes Lyme disease, meningitis, diabetes, syphilis, sickle cell disease, and hypothyroidism.

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