Listen up! Don't take your ears for granted. Hearing loss is the third most common health problem in the U.S, and it can affect the quality of your life and relationships. About 48 million Americans have lost some hearing. Certain conditions, including age, illness, and genetics, may play a role in hearing loss.
In the past, a condition called cholesteatoma was a common cause of perilymph fistula, but this condition is now encountered only rarely because of improved antibiotic treatments. It is possible that there are occasionally fistulae associated with tiny cracks in the bone between the middle and inner ear.
In developed countries, the majority of women with OF suffer rectovaginal fistula (RVF). This is caused by episiotomy and forceps/vacuum extraction of the baby from the vagina. Over 80% of RVFs in the USA are obstetric and either preventable or treatable, followed in frequency by Crohn's disease and radiation. A fistula is almost entirely preventable.