Have you ever seen a t-shirt advertised as “one size fits all” but when you went to try it on, you were disheartened to find that it didn’t fit at all? That’s really annoying. 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 like hearing loss. There can be numerous reasons why it happens.
So what are the most common types of hearing loss and what are their causes? Let’s find out!
There are different forms of hearing loss
Everybody’s hearing loss scenario will be as individual as they are. Maybe when you’re in a crowded restaurant you can’t hear very well, but at work, you hear just fine. Or maybe you only have difficulty with high-pitched voices or low-pitched sounds. There are numerous forms that your hearing loss can take.
How your hearing loss shows up, in part, could be determined by what causes your symptoms to begin with. Any number of things can go wrong with an organ as intricate as the ear.
How does hearing work?
Before you can completely understand how hearing loss works, or what level of hearing loss calls for 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 visible portion of the ear. It’s the initial sound receiver. 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: This is where your stereocilia are found. These fragile hairs detect vibrations and begin translating those vibrations into electrical signals. Your cochlea helps here, also. Our brain then receives this electrical energy.
- Auditory nerve: This nerve is inside of your ear, and it’s responsible for transmitting and directing this electrical energy to your 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 concert with each other. In other words, the system is interconnected, so any problem in one area will usually impact the performance of the whole system.
Hearing loss types
Because there are multiple parts of your auditory system, there are (as a result) multiple types of hearing loss. The root cause of your hearing loss will determine which type of hearing loss you develop.
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. Normally, fluid or inflammation is the cause of this blockage (this usually happens, for instance, when you have an ear infection). Sometimes, conductive hearing loss can be caused by a growth in the ear canal. Normally, with conductive hearing loss, your hearing will go back to normal as soon as the blockage is gone.
- Sensorineural hearing loss: When your ears are damaged by loud noise, the tiny hair cells which pick up sound, called stereocilia, are destroyed. This form of hearing loss is typically chronic, progressive, and permanent. As a result, individuals are normally encouraged to prevent this type of hearing loss by using ear protection. Even though sensorineural hearing loss is permanent, it can be successfully treated with hearing aids.
- Mixed hearing loss: It’s also possible to experience a combination of sensorineural hearing loss and conductive hearing loss. This can often be difficult to treat because the hearing loss is coming from different places.
- Auditory Neuropathy Spectrum Disorder: It’s fairly rare for someone to develop ANSD. When sound isn’t effectively transmitted from your ear to your brain, this kind of hearing loss occurs. ANSD can usually be treated with a device known as a cochlear implant.
The desired results are the same even though the treatment solution will differ for each form of hearing loss: improving your hearing ability.
Variations on hearing loss kinds
And that isn’t all! Any of these normal kinds of hearing loss can be further categorized (and more specifically). For instance, hearing loss can also be classified as:
- Progressive or sudden: You have “progressive” hearing loss if it slowly worsens over time. Hearing loss that erupts or presents instantly is called “sudden”.
- Acquired hearing loss: Hearing loss that happens as a result of outside causes (like damage).
- Unilateral or bilateral hearing loss: It’s possible to develop hearing loss in one ear (unilateral), or in both (bilateral).
- Pre-lingual or post-lingual: If your hearing loss developed before you learned to talk, it’s called pre-lingual. Hearing loss is post-lingual when it develops after you learned to speak. This will impact the way hearing loss is addressed.
- High frequency vs. low frequency: Your hearing loss can be classified as one or the other depending on which frequency range is getting lost.
- Congenital hearing loss: Hearing loss you were born with.
- Fluctuating or stable: If your hearing loss has a tendency to appear and disappear, it may be referred to as fluctuating. Stable hearing loss stays at about the same level.
- 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. The point is that each classification helps us more accurately and effectively manage your symptoms.
Time to get a hearing test
So how do you know what type, and which sub-type, of hearing loss you’re experiencing? Self-diagnosis of hearing loss isn’t, unfortunately, something that’s at all accurate. As an example, is your cochlea working properly, how would you know?
But you can get a hearing exam to find out precisely what’s going on. Your loss of hearing is sort of like a “check engine” light. We can help you identify what type of hearing loss you have by hooking you up to a wide range of modern technology.
So the best way to determine what’s happening is to schedule 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/