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? That’s truly annoying. The truth is that there’s virtually nothing in the world that is truly a “one size fits all”. That’s not only true with clothing, it’s also true with medical conditions like hearing loss. There can be a wide variety of reasons why it occurs.
So what are the most common kinds of hearing loss and what are their causes? Well, that’s exactly what we intend to find out.
Hearing loss comes in different forms
Everyone’s hearing loss situation will be as unique as they are. Maybe you hear just fine at the office, but not in a crowded restaurant. Or, perhaps certain frequencies of sound get lost. There are a wide variety of forms that your hearing loss can take.
The underlying cause of your hearing loss will dictate how it manifests. Because your ear is a fairly complex little organ, there are lots of things that can go wrong.
How does hearing work?
Before you can totally understand how hearing loss works, or what degree of hearing loss calls for a hearing aid, it’s practical to consider how things are supposed to work, how your ear is usually supposed to work. Check out this breakdown:
- Outer ear: This is the visible portion of the ear. It’s where you are first exposed to a “sound”. Sounds are effectively guided into your middle ear for further processing by 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: This is where your stereocilia are found. Vibration is picked up by these delicate hairs which are then transformed into electrical energy. Your cochlea helps here, also. These electrical signals are then transmitted to your brain.
- Auditory nerve: This nerve is located in your ear, and it’s responsible for transmitting and sending this electrical energy towards 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 parts working in unison with one another. Typically, in other words, the entire system will be affected if any one part has issues.
Hearing loss types
There are multiple forms of hearing loss because there are numerous parts of the ear. The root cause of your hearing loss will determine which type of hearing loss you experience.
Here are some of the most prevalent causes:
- Conductive hearing loss: When there’s a blockage somewhere in the auditory system, often the middle or outer ear, this form of hearing loss occurs. Usually, fluid or inflammation is the cause of this blockage (this usually happens, for instance, when you have an ear infection). In some cases, conductive hearing loss can be the result of a growth in the ear canal. Normally, with conductive hearing loss, your hearing will go back to normal once the blockage has been removed.
- Sensorineural hearing loss: When your ears are damaged by loud sound, the delicate hair cells which pick up sound, called stereocilia, are destroyed. This type of hearing loss is generally chronic, progressive, and permanent. Because of this, people are usually encouraged to avoid this kind of hearing loss by wearing hearing protection. If you’re dealing with sensorineural hearing loss, it can still be managed by devices like 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 hard to treat because the hearing loss is coming from different places.
- Auditory Neuropathy Spectrum Disorder: ANSD is a relatively rare condition. When sound isn’t effectively transmitted from your ear to your brain, this kind of hearing loss happens. ANSD can normally be managed 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 types
And there’s more. Any of these common types of hearing loss can be further categorized (and more specifically). For example, hearing loss can also be classified as:
- Pre-lingual or post-lingual: If your hearing loss developed before you learned to speak, it’s called pre-lingual. Hearing loss is post-lingual when it develops after you learned to talk. This will affect the way hearing loss is managed.
- Congenital hearing loss: If you’re born with hearing loss it’s known as “congenital”.
- Fluctuating or stable: If your hearing loss has a tendency 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 classified as one or the other depending on which frequency range is getting lost.
- Unilateral or bilateral hearing loss: It’s possible to develop hearing loss in one ear (unilateral), or in both (bilateral).
- Acquired hearing loss: Hearing loss that happens as a consequence of outside causes (such as damage).
- 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.
- Progressive or sudden: You have “progressive” hearing loss if it gradually gets worse over time. If your hearing loss occurs all at once, it’s known as “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 be sure which of these classifications pertains to your hearing loss situation? Unfortunately, hearing loss isn’t really something you can accurately diagnose by yourself. For instance, is your cochlea working correctly, how would you know?
But you can get a hearing exam to determine precisely what’s happening. Your loss of hearing is kind of like a “check engine” light. We can connect you to a wide variety of machines, and help determine what type of hearing loss you have.
So the best way to determine 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/
