What are the types of Hearing Loss ?

Publish Date : 2022-02-12 03:09:38

There are three main types of hearing loss. 

1. Sensorineural Hearing Loss

   Sensorineural hearing loss damages the hair cells of the ear or the nerve pathways which connect the inner ear parts and the brain. Most cases of sensorineural hearing loss are related to age, while others are caused by other factors. Most people who suffer from this disease report that they can hear the voices or sounds, but they cannot fully understand the speech.

   There are two types of sensorineural hearing loss:

   Acquired sensorineural hearing loss– This loss occurs after birth. It can be caused by aging, exposure to loud noise, disease and infections, tumors, and acoustic trauma. Some medications, such as chemotherapy drugs can also cause it.

   Congenital sensorineural hearing loss– this type of hearing loss occurs during pregnancy. It can be caused by maternal diabetes, prematurity, genetics, lack of oxygen during birth, or mother to child transmitted diseases.

2. Conductive Hearing loss

   Conductive hearing loss affects the middle and the outer parts of the ear. These include the external parts of the ear which are easily seen, such as the canal and the minuscule middle ear bones known as the ossicles. A conductive hearing loss may be temporary or permanent depending on how much it has affected the ear, or how soon it is treated.

   So what causes the conductive hearing loss?

   There are many factors which cause this type of loss, and they each occur at a different part of the ear. Let’s look at them in details:

   External ear conductive hearing loss

   The common causes of external ear conductive hearing loss are:

   Earwax– this is the leading cause of the conductive hearing loss problem. It happens when earwax gets stuck in the ear canal.

   Swimmers ear– this is caused by ear tenderness, pain, and swelling of the ear canal.

   Bony lesions– these are growths which grow on the external ear walls making the canal very narrow. The condition becomes worse when wax blocks the remaining canal passage, making it impossible for the person to hear anything.

   Malformations– most of the deformities are genetic, and in most cases, they affect one ear.

   Middle ear conductive hearing loss

   
   As earlier mentioned, the conductive hearing loss affects the external or the middle parts of the ear.

   Discussed below are the causes of middle ear conductive ear loss:

   Fluid- the fluid which collects in the middle part of the ear can cause a temporary loss of hearing. A Eustachian tube dysfunction mostly causes the fluid, and it is common in children. Ear infections-the ear infections which occur in the middle part of the ear can lead to permanent conductive hearing loss, especially when not treated early.

   Eardrum collapse-a collapsed eardrum causes the conductive middle ear hearing problem.

   Trauma– head trauma or trauma to the ossicles can cause a conductive hearing loss.

3. Mixed Hearing Loss

   A mixed hearing loss is a combination of the sensorineural and the conductive hearing loss. Most people suffering from this condition hear the voices well, although they cannot understand them.

   Since the condition is caused by both sensorineural and conductive hearing loss, both the inner and the external parts of the ear are affected. The disease is caused by exposure to loud sounds, and can also be caused by genetical disorders. It can also be caused by the aging process, certain medications, and infections.

   In short, all the causes of the conductive and the sensorineural hearing loss can cause mixed hearing loss.

Watch by clicking  Types of hearing loss