Types of Hearing Loss and Causes
Hearing impairment or loss of hearing mainly falls into one of two main categories, which is either conductive hearing loss or sensorineural. However hearing loss can be a mixture of
these two kinds. All of them essentially relate to the level or degree that
the ear can process 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. With this condition the experience of poorer quality hearing comes about in several ways. It could be related to having fluid in the ear, an allergy, or being ‘blocked up’ with a nasty cold. It could also be because something got stuck in the ear and caused a fracture of some sort or perforated the actual eardrum. Or the problem could arise as the result of a tumor in that area.
In most cases you will find that this kind of hearing loss is treatable or can even clear up by itself. It is always best to get even mild to moderate conductive hearing loss checked by a doctor to get some advice on the best 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 it may not be a total hearing loss, and some degree of hearing remains, it is usually severely impaired which can make it very difficult to make out what anyone is saying even if they are standing close to you.
This can sometimes happen as a result of injuries received during birth or genetics or may occur as a side effect of certain medications like the regular use of aspirin or some diuretic drugs, for example. The name used to identify this kind of hearing condition is ‘ototoxic’. Some other causes of hearing loss include the disease, otosclerosis, the development of an acoustic neuroma (tumor on the acoustic nerve) and as a seide effect of viral meningitis. High levels of noise, especially if continued over a period of time can damage the cochlea and its sensitive hair cells and lead, in the end result, to what is termed noise-induced hearing loss.
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
Tags: hearing loss, information, mild, mixed, noise induced, profound, sensorineural, test, what causes, what is
