Have you ever had your car break down in the middle of the road? That really stinks! You have to pull your car off the road. And then, for some reason, you probably open your hood and have a look at your engine.
Humorously, you still do this despite the fact that you have no knowledge of engines. Perhaps whatever is wrong will be totally obvious. Sooner or later, you have to call somebody to tow your car to a garage.
And a picture of the problem only becomes apparent when experts get a look at it. That’s because cars are intricate, there are so many moving parts and computerized software that the symptoms (a car that won’t start) are not enough to inform you as to what’s wrong.
The same thing can occur at times with hearing loss. The cause isn’t always evident by the symptoms. Sure, noise-related hearing loss is the usual cause. But sometimes, something else like auditory neuropathy is the culprit.
What is auditory neuropathy?
Most people think of extremely loud noise like a rock concert or a jet engine when they think of hearing loss. This type of hearing loss is known as sensorineural hearing loss, and it’s a bit more involved than simple noise damage.
But sometimes, long-term hearing loss can be the result of something else besides noise damage. While it’s less prevalent, hearing loss can sometimes be caused by a condition known as auditory neuropathy. This is a hearing condition in which your ear and inner ear collect sounds just fine, but for some reason, can’t fully transfer those sounds to your brain.
Auditory neuropathy symptoms
The symptoms of conventional noise related hearing loss can often look a lot like those of auditory neuropathy. Things like cranking up the volume on your devices and not being capable of hearing well in loud environments. That’s why diagnosing auditory neuropathy can be so difficult.
Still, auditory neuropathy does have a few unique features that make it possible to diagnose. These presentations are pretty strong indicators that you aren’t dealing with sensorineural hearing loss, but with auditory neuropathy instead. Though, as always, you’ll be better informed by an official diagnosis from us.
Here are a few of the more unique symptoms of auditory neuropathy:
- An inability to make out words: Sometimes, you can’t make out what somebody is saying even though the volume is just fine. Words are unclear and muddled sounding.
- Sound fades in and out: Maybe it feels like somebody is messing with the volume knob in your head! If you’re encountering these symptoms it may be a case of auditory neuropathy.
- Sounds seem jumbled or confused: Again, this isn’t a problem with volume. The volume of what you’re hearing is just fine, the issue is that the sounds seem jumbled and you can’t make sense of them. This can go beyond the spoken word and apply to all kinds of sounds around you.
Some causes of auditory neuropathy
The root causes of this disorder can, in part, be defined by the symptoms. It may not be completely clear why you have developed auditory neuropathy on a personal level. Both children and adults can develop this condition. And, generally speaking, there are a couple of well described possible causes:
- The cilia that transmit signals to the brain can be damaged: Sound can’t be sent to your brain in full form once these little delicate hairs have been compromised in a specific way.
- Nerve damage: There’s a nerve that transmits sound signals from your inner ear to the hearing center of your brain. If this nerve becomes damaged, your brain doesn’t get the complete signal, and as a result, the sounds it “interprets” will seem off. Sounds might seem garbled or too quiet to hear when this happens.
Risk factors of auditory neuropathy
Some people will develop auditory neuropathy while other people won’t and no one is really sure why. As a result, there isn’t a tried and true way to prevent auditory neuropathy. However, there are close associations which might reveal that you’re at a higher risk of experiencing this disorder.
Keep in mind that even if you have all of these risk factors you still may or may not develop auditory neuropathy. But you’re more statistically likely to develop auditory neuropathy the more risk factors you have.
Risk factors for children
Factors that can raise the risk of auditory neuropathy for children include the following:
- Other neurological disorders
- Liver conditions that result in jaundice (a yellow look to the skin)
- A low birth weight
- A lack of oxygen before labor begins or during birth
- An abundance of bilirubin in the blood (bilirubin is a normal byproduct of red blood cell breakdown)
- Preterm or premature birth
Risk factors for adults
Here are a few auditory neuropathy risk factors for adults:
- Certain medications (especially improper use of medications that can cause hearing problems)
- Auditory neuropathy and other hearing disorders that run in the family
- Immune disorders of various kinds
- Certain infectious diseases, such as mumps
In general, it’s a smart idea to minimize these risks as much as possible. Scheduling regular screenings with us is a good plan, especially if you do have risk factors.
How is auditory neuropathy diagnosed?
A typical hearing exam consists of listening to tones with a set of headphones and raising a hand depending on which side you hear the tone on. That test won’t help very much with auditory neuropathy.
One of the following two tests will normally be done instead:
- Otoacoustic emissions (OAE) test: The reaction of your inner ear and cochlea to stimuli will be evaluated with this diagnostic. A little microphone is put just inside your ear canal. Then a series of clicks and tones will be played. Then your inner ear will be measured to see how it responds. If the inner ear is a problem, this data will reveal it.
- Auditory brainstem response (ABR) test: During the course of this diagnostic test, you’ll have specialized electrodes attached to specific spots on your head and scalp. Again, don’t worry, there’s nothing painful or uncomfortable about this test. These electrodes track your brainwaves, with particular attention to how those brainwaves respond to sound. Whether you’re experiencing sensorineural hearing loss (outer ear) or auditory neuropathy (inner ear) will be determined by the quality of your brainwaves.
Diagnosing your auditory neuropathy will be much more successful once we do the applicable tests.
Does auditory neuropathy have any treatments?
So you can bring your ears to us for treatment in the same way that you bring your car to the mechanic to have it fixed. In general, there’s no “cure” for auditory neuropathy. But there are several ways to manage this condition.
- Hearing aids: Even with auditory neuropathy, in moderate cases, hearing aids can amplify sound enough to allow you to hear better. For some individuals, hearing aids will work perfectly fine! That said, this is not typically the case, because, once again, volume is virtually never the problem. Due to this, hearing aids are frequently coupled with other therapy and treatment options.
- Cochlear implant: Hearing aids won’t be capable of solving the problem for most people. It may be necessary to opt for cochlear implants in these situations. Signals from your inner ear are transmitted directly to your brain with this implant. The internet has plenty of videos of individuals having success with these remarkable devices!
- Frequency modulation: In some cases, it’s possible to hear better by increasing or lowering specific frequencies. That’s what happens with a technology called frequency modulation. Basically, highly customized hearing aids are utilized in this strategy.
- Communication skills training: In some situations, any and all of these treatments might be combined with communication skills exercises. This will help you communicate using the hearing you have and work around your symptoms instead of treating them.
It’s best to get treatment as soon as possible
Getting your condition treated right away will, as with any hearing condition, produce better outcomes.
So if you suspect you have auditory neuropathy, or even just normal hearing loss, it’s important to get treatment as soon as you can. You’ll be able to go back to hearing better and enjoying your life after you schedule an appointment and get treated. This can be especially critical for children, who experience a great deal of cognitive development and linguistic expansion during their early years.
