Veteran Bollywood singer Alka Yagnik has revealed that she has been diagnosed with a “rare hearing loss” due to a viral attack, and hence she was missing in action.
She posted a picture of herself and wrote: “To all my fans, friends, followers, and well-wishers: A few weeks ago, as I walked out of a flight, I suddenly felt I was not able to hear anything.”
The singer, who began her career singing bhajans for Akashvani at the age of six and debuted with the song for the 1980 film ‘Payal Ki Jhankaar’, said that she 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 doctors as a rare sensory neural nerve hearing loss due to a viral attack…”
She added, “This sudden, major setback has caught me completely unawares. As I attempt to come to terms with it, please keep me in your prayers.” Yagnik also shared a word of caution for young singers and fans.
“For my fans and young colleagues, I would add a word of caution regarding exposure to very loud music and headphones.”
Yagnik added: “One day, I wish to share the health perils of my professional life. With all your love and support, I am hoping to recalibrate my life and come back to you soon. Your support and understanding will mean the world to me in this critical hour.”
The 58-year-old singer is known for her iconic songs such as ‘Ek Do Teen’, ‘Choli Ke Peeche’, ‘Chamma Chamma’, ‘Khush Rahne Ko Zaroori’, ‘Jai Maa Kali’, and ‘Yeh Bandhan To’, to name a few.
According to doctors sudden sensory hearing loss is a medical emergency as it can become irreversible if not aggressively treated in 48-72 hours.
This disorder may also result from more serious causes like painkiller overdose, chemotherapy, tumor compression, meningitis, and stroke.
The need of the hour is usually to rush to an ENT specialist to get the necessary ear examination done as well as get an audiometry test. Once diagnosed, the treatment may require a cocktail of antivirals, oral and intratympanic steroids, as well as rest from noisy environments.
