Have you ever seen a t-shirt advertised as “one size fits all” but when you went to try it on, you were discouraged to find that it didn’t fit at all? That’s truly annoying. There aren’t actually very many “one size fits all” with anything in the real world. That’s true with t-shirts and it’s also relevant with medical conditions, like hearing loss. There can be a wide variety of reasons why it happens.
So what causes hearing loss? And what is the most common kind of hearing loss? Well, that’s precisely what we intend to explore.
Hearing loss comes in different forms
Everyone’s hearing loss scenario will be as unique as they are. Maybe when you’re in a noisy restaurant you can’t hear that well, but when you’re at work, you hear fine. Or maybe you only have problems with high-pitched voices or low-pitched sounds. Your loss of hearing can take a wide variety of forms.
The root cause of your hearing loss will determine how it manifests. Any number of things can go wrong with an organ as complex as the ear.
How does hearing work?
Before you can totally understand how hearing loss works, or what level of hearing loss requires a hearing aid, it’s helpful to consider how things are supposed to work, how your ear is typically supposed to work. Check out this breakdown:
- Outer ear: This is the part of the ear that’s visible. It’s where you are first exposed to a “sound”. Sounds are effectively guided into your middle ear for further processing due to the shape of your outer ear.
- Middle ear: The eardrum and some tiny bones are what your middle ear is composed of (Yes, there are some tiny little bones in there).
- Inner ear: Your stereocilia are found hear. These fragile hairs detect vibrations and start translating those vibrations into electrical signals. Your cochlea helps here, too. Our brain then receives this electrical energy.
- Auditory nerve: This nerve directs these electrical signals to the brain.
- Auditory system: From your brain to your outer ear, the “auditory system” encompasses all of the parts discussed above. The overall hearing process depends on all of these components working in unison with each other. Put simply, the system is interconnected, so any issue in one area will typically affect the performance of the whole system.
Hearing loss types
Because there are numerous parts of your auditory system, there are (as a result) multiple forms of hearing loss. Which type you develop will depend on the root cause.
Here are some of the most prevalent causes:
- Conductive hearing loss: This kind of hearing loss happens because there’s a blockage somewhere in the auditory system, frequently in the outer or middle ear. Normally, fluid or inflammation is the cause of this blockage (this typically happens, for instance, when you have an ear infection). A growth in the ear can occasionally cause conductive hearing loss. Normally, with conductive hearing loss, your hearing will return to normal once the blockage has been removed.
- Sensorineural hearing loss: When your ears are damaged by loud sound, the delicate hair cells which detect sound, called stereocilia, are destroyed. Normally, this is a chronic, progressive and irreversible type of hearing loss. Usually, people are encouraged to wear ear protection to prevent this type of hearing loss. Even though sensorineural hearing loss is irreversible, it can be successfully 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 challenging to treat.
- Auditory Neuropathy Spectrum Disorder: ANSD is a fairly rare condition. It occurs when the cochlea does not effectively transmit sounds from your ear to your brain. ANSD can normally be treated with a device known as a cochlear implant.
The desired results are the same even though the treatment option will differ for each type of hearing loss: improving your hearing ability.
Variations on hearing loss kinds
And that’s not all! We can break down and categorize these common forms of hearing loss even more specifically. For instance, hearing loss can also be classified as:
- 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.
- Acquired hearing loss: Hearing loss that develops as a consequence of outside forces (like damage).
- Pre-lingual or post-lingual: If your hearing loss developed before you learned to talk, it’s called pre-lingual. If your hearing loss developed after you learned to talk, it’s known as post-lingual. This can have ramifications for treatment and adaptation.
- Congenital hearing loss: If you’re born with hearing loss it’s known as “congenital”.
- Unilateral or bilateral hearing loss: It’s possible to develop hearing loss in one ear (unilateral), or in both (bilateral).
- Fluctuating or stable: If your hearing loss tends to come and go, it might be referred to as fluctuating. Stable hearing loss remains 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.
- Progressive or sudden: You have “progressive” hearing loss if it gradually gets worse over time. Hearing loss that appears or presents instantly is called “sudden”.
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 classifications.
A hearing test is in order
So how can you tell which of these categories applies to your hearing loss situation? Unfortunately, hearing loss isn’t really something you can self-diagnose with much accuracy. As an example, is your cochlea functioning properly, how would you know?
But you can get a hearing test to determine exactly what’s going on. It’s like when you have a check engine light on in your car and you bring it to a qualified auto technician. We can help you determine what type of hearing loss you’re dealing with by connecting you to a wide variety of modern technology.
So the best way to determine what’s going on is to schedule an appointment with us today!
References
https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/hearingloss/types.html
https://www.asha.org/public/hearing/types-of-hearing-loss/
