Have you ever purchased one of those “one size fits all” t-shirts only to be disappointed (and surprised) when the shirt doesn’t, in fact, fit as advertised? That’s truly aggravating. There aren’t really very many “one size fits all” with anything in the real world. That’s not only true with clothing, it’s also true with medical conditions such as hearing loss. This can be true for many reasons.
So what’s the cause of hearing loss? And what’s the most common kind of hearing loss? Let’s see what we can find out!
There are different forms of hearing loss
Because hearing is such an intricate cognitive and physical operation, no two people’s hearing loss will be exactly the same. Perhaps when you’re in a noisy restaurant you can’t hear very well, but when you’re at work, you hear just fine. Or, maybe specific frequencies of sound get lost. Your hearing loss 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 your hearing works
It’s helpful to get an idea of how hearing is supposed to work before we can determine what degree of hearing loss calls for a hearing aid. Here’s how it breaks down:
- Outer ear: This is the portion of the ear that you can see. It’s the initial sound receiver. Sounds are efficiently guided into your middle ear for further processing by the shape of your outer ear.
- Middle ear: The eardrum and some tiny bones are what your middle ear is composed of (yes, you have bones in your ear, but they are admittedly very, very tiny).
- Inner ear: Your stereocilia are found hear. These tiny hairs pick up on vibrations and start translating those vibrations into electrical energy. Your cochlea helps here, also. Our brain then receives these electrical signals.
- Auditory nerve: This nerve is inside of your ear, and it’s responsible for transmitting and sending this electrical energy towards your brain.
- Auditory system: All of the parts listed above, from your brain to your outer ear, are elements of your “auditory system”. It’s important to recognize that all of these elements are continually working together and in concert with each other. In other words, the system is interconnected, so any problem in one area will typically affect the performance of the entire system.
Varieties 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: This type of hearing loss occurs 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). In some cases, conductive hearing loss can be the result of a growth in the ear canal. Typically, with conductive hearing loss, your hearing will return to normal as soon as the obstruction has been removed.
- 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 usually chronic, progressive, and irreversible. Typically, people are encouraged to use hearing protection to avoid this kind of hearing loss. If you have sensorineural hearing loss, it can still be managed by devices such as hearing aids.
- Mixed hearing loss: It sometimes happens that a person will experience both conductive and sensorineural hearing loss at the same time. Because the hearing loss is coming from numerous different places, this can sometimes be challenging to manage.
- Auditory Neuropathy Spectrum Disorder: ANSD is a fairly rare condition. When sound isn’t effectively transmitted from your ear to your brain, this kind of hearing loss occurs. A device known as a cochlear implant is usually used to treat this kind of hearing loss.
Each type of hearing loss requires a different treatment method, but the desired results are often the same: improving your hearing ability.
Hearing loss kinds have variations
And that isn’t all! We can analyze and categorize these common forms of hearing loss even more specifically. For instance, hearing loss can also be classified as:
- Congenital hearing loss: Hearing loss you were born with.
- High frequency vs. low frequency: You may experience more trouble hearing high or low-frequency sounds. Your hearing loss can then be categorized as one or the other.
- Unilateral or bilateral hearing loss: This means you’re either going through hearing loss in only one ear (unilateral) or both ears (bilateral).
- Fluctuating or stable: Fluctuating hearing loss refers to hearing loss that appears and disappears. If your hearing loss stays at around the same levels, it’s known as stable.
- Acquired hearing loss: If you experience hearing loss due to external causes, such as damage, it’s known as “acquired”.
- Progressive or sudden: You have “progressive” hearing loss if it slowly worsens over time. If your hearing loss happens all at once, it’s called “sudden”.
- Pre-lingual or post-lingual: Hearing loss is known as pre-lingual when it develops before you learned to speak. Hearing loss is post-lingual when it develops after you learned to speak. This will impact the way hearing loss is managed.
- 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.
That may seem like a lot, and it is. The point is that each categorization helps us more precisely and effectively address your symptoms.
Time to get a hearing test
So how do you know which type, and what sub-type, of hearing loss you’re experiencing? Unfortunately, hearing loss isn’t really something you can accurately diagnose by yourself. For instance, is your cochlea working properly, 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 help you figure out what type of hearing loss you’re dealing with by hooking you up to a wide variety of modern technology.
So the best way to understand what’s happening 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/
