Have you ever seen a t-shirt promoted as “one size fits all” but when you went to put it on, you were disheartened to find that it didn’t fit at all? 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 not only relevant with clothing, it’s also true with medical conditions such as hearing loss. There can be a wide variety of reasons why it occurs.
So what causes hearing loss? And what is the most prevalent type of hearing loss? Let’s find out!
There are different forms of hearing loss
Because hearing is such an intricate mental and physical operation, no two people’s hearing loss will be precisely the same. Maybe when you’re in a noisy restaurant you can’t hear very well, but when you’re at work, you hear just fine. Or perhaps you only have trouble with high or low-pitched sounds. There are a wide variety of forms that your hearing loss can take.
How your hearing loss presents, in part, may be determined by what causes your symptoms in the first place. Because your ear is a rather complex little organ, there are lots of things that can go wrong.
How does hearing work?
It’s useful to get an understanding of how hearing is supposed to work before we can determine what degree of hearing loss calls for a hearing aid. Here’s how it breaks down:
- Outer ear: This is the visible part of the ear. It’s where you are initially exposed to a “sound”. The shape of your ear helps direct those sounds into your middle ear (where they are further processed).
- 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 detected by these fragile hairs which are then transformed into electrical signals. Your cochlea helps here, also. These electrical signals are then carried to your brain.
- Auditory nerve: This nerve is located in your ear, and it’s responsible for channeling and directing this electrical energy to your brain.
- Auditory system: All of the components listed above, from your brain to your outer ear, are elements of your “auditory system”. The overall hearing process depends on all of these components working in unison with each other. Typically, in other words, the entire system will be impacted if any one part has issues.
Types of hearing loss
There are numerous types of hearing loss because there are multiple parts of the ear. Which form you develop will depend on the root cause.
The prevalent types of hearing loss include:
- Conductive hearing loss: When there’s a blockage somewhere in the auditory system, usually the middle or outer ear, this form of hearing loss occurs. Normally, this blockage is a consequence of fluid or inflammation (this typically happens, for instance, when you have an ear infection). A growth in the ear can occasionally cause conductive hearing loss. Typically, with conductive hearing loss, your hearing will go back to normal once the blockage is gone.
- Sensorineural hearing loss: When the delicate hairs that detect sound, called stereocilia, are damaged by loud noise they are normally destroyed. Usually, this is a chronic, progressive and permanent form of hearing loss. Usually, people are encouraged to wear ear protection to avoid this type of hearing loss. If you have sensorineural hearing loss, it can still be managed by devices like hearing aids.
- Mixed hearing loss: It’s also possible to have a combination of sensorineural hearing loss and conductive hearing loss. This can often be challenging to treat because the hearing loss is coming from different places.
- Auditory Neuropathy Spectrum Disorder: ANSD is a fairly rare condition. It takes place when the cochlea doesn’t effectively transmit sounds from your ear to your brain. ANSD can normally be managed with a device called a cochlear implant.
Each type of hearing loss requires a different treatment strategy, but the desired results are usually the same: to improve or maintain your ability to hear.
Hearing loss kinds have variations
And that isn’t all! We can break down and categorize these common forms of hearing loss even more specifically. For example, hearing loss can also be classified as:
- Unilateral or bilateral hearing loss: It’s possible to experience hearing loss in one ear (unilateral), or in both (bilateral).
- Acquired hearing loss: If you develop hearing loss due to outside forces, like damage, it’s called “acquired”.
- Congenital hearing loss: If you’re born with hearing loss it’s called “congenital”.
- Fluctuating or stable: Fluctuating hearing loss describes hearing loss that comes and goes. Stable hearing loss stays at relatively the same level.
- Pre-lingual or post-lingual: Hearing loss is called pre-lingual when it develops before you learned to talk. Hearing loss is post-lingual when it develops after you learned to speak. This will impact the way hearing loss is addressed.
- Progressive or sudden: You have “progressive” hearing loss if it slowly worsens over time. If your hearing loss occurs all at once, it’s known as “sudden”.
- High frequency vs. low frequency: You may have more difficulty hearing high or low-frequency sounds. Your hearing loss can then be classified as one or the other.
- Symmetrical or asymmetrical: This tells you whether your hearing loss is equal in both ears or unequal in both ears.
If that seems like a lot, it’s because it is. But your hearing loss will be more effectively treated when we’re able to use these categories.
A hearing exam is in order
So how do you know what type, and what sub-type, of hearing loss you’re experiencing? Self-diagnosis of hearing loss isn’t, regrettably, something that’s at all accurate. It will be difficult for you to determine, for example, whether your cochlea is functioning properly.
But that’s what hearing exams are for! Your loss of hearing is sort of like a “check engine” light. We can hook you up to a wide range of machines, and help establish what type of hearing loss you have.
So the best way to understand what’s going on is to make an appointment with us as soon as you can!
References
https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/hearingloss/types.html
https://www.asha.org/public/hearing/types-of-hearing-loss/