Have you ever seen a t-shirt advertised as “one size fits all” but when you went to put it on, you were discouraged to find that it didn’t fit at all? That’s really frustrating. There aren’t actually 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 like hearing loss. There can be a wide variety of reasons why it happens.
So what’s the cause of hearing loss? And what is the most prevalent type of hearing loss? Let’s find out!
Hearing loss comes in different forms
Everyone’s hearing loss scenario will be as individual as they are. Perhaps when you’re in a crowded restaurant you can’t hear that well, but when you’re at work, you hear fine. Or, perhaps specific frequencies of sound get lost. 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’s causing your symptoms in the first place. Lots of things can go wrong with an organ as intricate as the ear.
How your hearing works
Before you can thoroughly understand how hearing loss works, or what level of hearing loss requires a hearing aid, it’s practical to think a bit about how things are supposed to work, how your ear is usually supposed to work. Here’s how it breaks down:
- Outer ear: This is the visible part of the ear. It’s the initial sound receiver. Sounds are efficiently guided into your middle ear for further processing due to the shape of your outer ear.
- Middle ear: The eardrum and a few 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. Vibration is detected by these little hairs which are then converted into electrical signals. Your cochlea helps here, too. Our brain then receives this electrical energy.
- Auditory nerve: This nerve is inside of your ear, and it’s responsible for transmitting and sending this electrical energy to your brain.
- Auditory system: From your brain to your outer ear, the “auditory system” encompasses all of the parts discussed above. The total hearing process depends on all of these parts working in concert with each other. Typically, in other words, the entire system will be impacted if any one part has issues.
Types of hearing loss
Because there are multiple parts of your auditory system, there are (as a result) numerous forms of hearing loss. Which type you experience will depend on the root cause.
The common types of hearing loss include:
- 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. Usually, fluid or inflammation is the cause of this blockage (when you have an ear infection, for example, this typically occurs). A growth in the ear can occasionally cause conductive hearing loss. Normally, with conductive hearing loss, your hearing will go back to normal once the blockage is gone.
- Sensorineural hearing loss: When your ears are damaged by loud sound, the fragile hair cells which pick up sound, called stereocilia, are destroyed. Normally, this is a chronic, progressive and irreversible type of hearing loss. Because of this, individuals are normally encouraged to avoid this type of hearing loss by using hearing protection. Even though sensorineural hearing loss is permanent, it can be effectively managed with hearing aids.
- Mixed hearing loss: It occasionally happens that someone will experience both conductive and sensorineural hearing loss at the same time. Because the hearing loss is coming from several different places, this can sometimes be difficult to manage.
- Auditory Neuropathy Spectrum Disorder: It’s relatively rare for somebody to develop ANSD. It happens when the cochlea doesn’t effectively transmit sounds from your ear to your brain. ANSD can usually be managed with a device called a cochlear implant.
The desired results are the same even though the treatment option will differ for each form of hearing loss: improving your hearing ability.
Hearing loss kinds have variations
And that’s not all! Any of these common types of hearing loss can be further categorized (and more specifically). Here are a few examples:
- Unilateral or bilateral hearing loss: This means you’re either experiencing hearing loss in only one ear (unilateral) or both ears (bilateral).
- Pre-lingual or post-lingual: Hearing loss is called pre-lingual when it develops before you learned to speak. Hearing loss is post-lingual when it develops after you learned to speak. This can have ramifications for treatment and adaptation.
- Congenital hearing loss: If you’re born with hearing loss it’s called “congenital”.
- Acquired hearing loss: If you experience hearing loss as a result of outside forces, such as damage, it’s known as “acquired”.
- High frequency vs. low frequency: You may have more trouble hearing high or low-frequency sounds. Your hearing loss can then be categorized as one or the other.
- Progressive or sudden: You have “progressive” hearing loss if it gradually worsens over time. If your hearing loss happens all at once, it’s called “sudden”.
- 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: If your hearing loss has a tendency to come and go, it might be referred to as fluctuating. Stable hearing loss stays at around the same level.
That may seem like a lot, and it is. But your hearing loss will be more effectively managed when we’re able to use these categories.
Time to get a hearing test
So how can you be sure which of these categories pertains to your hearing loss situation? Self-diagnosis of hearing loss isn’t, regrettably, something that is at all accurate. It will be hard for you to determine, for instance, whether your cochlea is functioning properly.
But you can get a hearing exam to determine precisely what’s going on. Your loss of hearing is kind of like a “check engine” light. We can help you determine what type of hearing loss you have by connecting you to a wide variety of modern technology.
So the best way to understand what’s happening is to make an appointment with us today!
References
https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/hearingloss/types.html
https://www.asha.org/public/hearing/types-of-hearing-loss/
