by Grady
Types of Hearing Loss and Causes
If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
Hearing loss is usually categorized as either sensorineural hearing loss or conductive hearing loss but hearing problems can also appear as a mixture of
these two. All of them are related to how much or to what degree
the ear can conduct sound.
As the name suggests, conductive hearing loss refers to the ability or non ability of the outer ear to conduct sound via the ear canal to the middle ear. Hearing loss due to ear wax build up or a slight infection is temporary and often clears up naturally although you may need some medication for the temporary discomfort as long as it lasts. Other reasons for experiencing a reduced quality of sound with this condition might be either fluid in the ear, which itself often comes about as a symptom of a cold or an allergy, a perforated eardrum, or a blockage caused perhaps by a tumorous growth or something getting stuck in the ear or a fracture.
Most times hearing loss of this sort will either clear up by itself over time, may be treated with medications or ear washing, or may be treated by surgery. Take care to get any hearing loss symptom or condition checked by a professional health practitioner before deciding on any one course of treatment.
If you or someone you know has been diagnosed with sensorineural hearing loss then the condition is a little more serious than the case above. The term ‘neural’ relates to the nerves in the ear that lead to the hearing centre in the
brain and ‘sensori’ refers to the way the nerve sensors work, or not, as the case may be.
If the sensitive area of the auditory nerve and cochlea are subject to damage, unlike the more easily treatable outer and middle part of the ear, permanent hearing loss will ensue ,. Although the degree of hearing loss may not be a complete loss the hearing left may nevertheless be of very poor quality and make it almost impossible to understand a normal conversation.
Sometimes this can happen very early in life, as in cases of injury at birth or it may be genetic or occur later as a side effect of certain drugs like the antibiotic streptomycin or high doses of aspirin. Ototoxic hearing loss is the name associated with this condition and its symptoms. Hearing loss can also be caused by conditions such as the rubella virus, meniere’s disease or as a side effect of meningitis. High intensity noise in the immediate environment can lead to noise-induced hearing loss, whether it is a short sharp burst or sustained over a longer period of time.
Presbycusis is the term used to describe hearing loss that occurs naturally with aging where the ear doesn’t perform as efficiently due to gradual wear and tear.Damage to the outer and middle ear, when combined with damage to the inner ear (where the cochlea and auditory nerve are situated) gives rise to the type of ear problem called ‘mixed hearing loss’. If the damage is in one ear only it is called ‘unilateral’.
Measuring the degree of hearing loss is usually done by testing the threshold at which you can detect sound and this is measured in decibles. Normal hearing is around the 10-15 decible range, whereas profound hearing loss would be be recorded at over 90 decibles.
More tips, advice and information about all types of hearing loss, symptoms, causes and treatment is available at www.conductivehearinglossandtreatments.com
