Have you ever bought one of those “one size fits all” t-shirts only to be disappointed (and shocked) when the shirt doesn’t, in fact, fit as advertised? It’s sort of a bummer, isn’t it? There aren’t really very many “one size fits all” with anything in the real world. That’s a fact with t-shirts and it’s also relevant with medical conditions, such as hearing loss. There can be a wide variety of reasons why it happens.
So what causes hearing loss? And what’s the most common type of hearing loss? Let’s see what we can find out!
There are different types of hearing loss
Everyone’s hearing loss situation will be as individual as they are. Perhaps when you’re in a crowded restaurant you can’t hear very well, but when you’re at work, you hear fine. Or, perhaps certain frequencies of sound get lost. There are numerous forms that your hearing loss can take.
The underlying cause of your hearing loss will dictate how it manifests. Because your ear is a fairly complex little organ, there are any number of things that can go wrong.
How your hearing works
It’s helpful to get an understanding of how hearing is supposed to work before we can understand what level of hearing loss calls for a hearing aid. Here’s how it breaks down:
- Outer ear: This is the part of the ear that’s visible. It’s where you’re first exposed to a “sound”. The shape of your ear helps direct those sounds into your middle ear (where they are processed further).
- Middle ear: The eardrum and several tiny bones are what your middle ear is composed of (yes, you have bones in your ear, but they are admittedly very, very tiny).
- Inner ear: This is where your stereocilia are found. Vibration is picked up by these delicate hairs which are then transformed into electrical energy. Your cochlea plays a role in this too. This electrical energy is then transmitted to your brain.
- Auditory nerve: This nerve directs these electrical signals to the brain.
- Auditory system: All of the parts listed above, from your brain to your outer ear, are elements of your “auditory system”. The complete hearing process depends on all of these parts working in unison with one another. Put simply, the system is interconnected, so any problem in one area will typically affect the performance of the whole system.
Varieties of hearing loss
There are multiple forms of hearing loss because there are numerous parts of the ear. Which type you experience will depend on the root cause.
Here are some of the most prevalent causes:
- Conductive hearing loss: When there’s a blockage somewhere in the auditory system, often the middle or outer ear, this type of hearing loss occurs. Normally, fluid or inflammation is the cause of this blockage (this usually happens, for instance, when you have an ear infection). In some cases, conductive hearing loss can be caused by a growth in the ear canal. Normally, with conductive hearing loss, your hearing will return to normal as soon as the obstruction has been removed.
- Sensorineural hearing loss: When the delicate hairs that detect sound, called stereocilia, are damaged by loud sound they are usually destroyed. Usually, this is a chronic, progressive and irreversible form of hearing loss. As a result, people are normally encouraged to avoid this kind of hearing loss by wearing ear protection. Even though sensorineural hearing loss is irreversible, it can be effectively treated with hearing aids.
- Mixed hearing loss: It sometimes happens that a person will experience both conductive and sensorineural hearing loss simultaneously. Because the hearing loss is coming from numerous different places, this can sometimes be difficult to treat.
- Auditory Neuropathy Spectrum Disorder: ANSD is a fairly rare condition. It occurs when the cochlea doesn’t effectively transmit sounds from your ear to your brain. A device known as a cochlear implant is normally used to manage this kind of hearing loss.
The desired results are the same even though the treatment option will differ for each form of hearing loss: to improve or preserve your ability to hear.
Hearing loss kinds have variations
And there’s more. Any of these normal kinds of hearing loss can be further categorized (and more specifically). For example, hearing loss can also be classified as:
- Acquired hearing loss: If you experience hearing loss due to external forces, such as damage, it’s called “acquired”.
- Pre-lingual or post-lingual: Hearing loss is known as pre-lingual when it develops before you learned to talk. If your hearing loss developed after you learned to talk, it’s known as post-lingual. This will affect the way hearing loss is addressed.
- Symmetrical or asymmetrical: If your hearing loss is the same in both ears it’s symmetrical and if it’s not the same in both ears it’s asymmetrical.
- Fluctuating or stable: Fluctuating hearing loss refers to hearing loss that appears and disappears. Stable hearing loss stays at around the same level.
- High frequency vs. low frequency: Your hearing loss can be categorized as one or the other depending on what frequency range is getting lost.
- Unilateral or bilateral hearing loss: This means you’re either experiencing hearing loss in just one ear (unilateral) or both ears (bilateral).
- Congenital hearing loss: Hearing loss you were born with.
- Progressive or sudden: You have “progressive” hearing loss if it slowly worsens over time. Hearing loss that appears or presents instantly is known as “sudden”.
That might seem like a lot, and it is. But your hearing loss will be more effectively managed when we’re able to use these classifications.
Time to have a hearing test
So how can you be sure which of these categories pertains to your hearing loss situation? Unfortunately, hearing loss isn’t really something you can accurately diagnose by yourself. It will be difficult for you to know, for example, whether your cochlea is working correctly.
But that’s what hearing tests are for! It’s like when you have a check engine light on in your car and you bring it to a skilled auto technician. We can connect you to a wide variety of machines, and help identify what type of hearing loss you have.
So call us today and make an appointment to figure out what’s happening.
References
https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/hearingloss/types.html
https://www.asha.org/public/hearing/types-of-hearing-loss/
