Have you ever purchased one of those “one size fits all” t-shirts only to be dismayed (and surprised) when the shirt doesn’t, in fact, fit as advertised? That’s truly annoying. The reality is that there’s pretty much nothing in the world that is truly a “one size fits all”. That’s a fact with t-shirts and it’s also relevant with medical conditions, like hearing loss. There can be many reasons why it occurs.
So what are the most common kinds of hearing loss and what are their causes? Let’s find out!
Hearing loss comes in different forms
Because hearing is such a complex mental 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 that well, but at work, you hear fine. Or maybe you only have problems with high or low-pitched sounds. Your loss of hearing can take a wide variety of forms.
How your hearing loss shows up, in part, may be dictated by what’s causing your symptoms to begin with. Any number of things can go wrong with an organ as complex as the ear.
How does hearing work?
It’s useful to get an idea of how hearing is supposed to work before we can understand what level of hearing loss requires a hearing aid. Check out this breakdown:
- Outer ear: This is the visible part of the ear. It’s the initial sound receiver. Sounds are effectively funneled 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, there are some tiny little bones in there).
- Inner ear: This is where your stereocilia are found. These tiny hairs detect vibrations and begin translating those vibrations into electrical signals. Your cochlea plays a role in this also. Our brain then receives these electrical signals.
- Auditory nerve: This nerve sends these electrical signals to the brain.
- Auditory system: All of the elements listed above, from your brain to your outer ear, are elements of your “auditory system”. The complete hearing process depends on all of these elements working in unison with one another. Put simply, the system is interconnected, so any issue in one area will typically impact the performance of the entire system.
Hearing loss types
Because there are multiple parts of your auditory system, there are (as a result) multiple forms of hearing loss. Which form 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, often in the outer or middle ear. Typically, this blockage is due to fluid or inflammation (when you have an ear infection, for instance, this usually happens). In some cases, conductive hearing loss can be the result of a growth in the ear canal. Usually, with conductive hearing loss, your hearing will return to normal when the obstruction is gone.
- Sensorineural hearing loss: When the delicate hairs that detect sound, called stereocilia, are damaged by loud noise they are usually destroyed. Usually, this is a chronic, progressive and irreversible type of hearing loss. Because of this, individuals are usually encouraged to prevent this kind of hearing loss by wearing hearing protection. Even though sensorineural hearing loss is permanent, it can be effectively managed with hearing aids.
- Mixed hearing loss: It’s also possible to have a combination of sensorineural hearing loss and conductive hearing loss. This can often be challenging to treat because the hearing loss is coming from different places.
- Auditory Neuropathy Spectrum Disorder: It’s relatively rare for someone to develop ANSD. 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 called a cochlear implant.
Each type of hearing loss calls for a different treatment method, but the desired results are usually the same: improving your hearing ability.
Hearing loss types have variations
And there’s more. Any of these normal types of hearing loss can be categorized further (and more specifically). For example, hearing loss can also be classified as:
- Acquired hearing loss: Hearing loss that develops due to outside causes (such as damage).
- Progressive or sudden: Hearing loss that gradually worsens over time is called “progressive”. If your hearing loss happens all at once, it’s known as “sudden”.
- Symmetrical or asymmetrical: This indicates whether your hearing loss is equal in both ears or unequal in both ears.
- High frequency vs. low frequency: You might have more difficulty 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 experiencing hearing loss in only one ear (unilateral) or both ears (bilateral).
- Fluctuating or stable: If your hearing loss has a tendency to come and go, it may be referred to as fluctuating. If your hearing loss stays at roughly the same levels, it’s called stable.
- Pre-lingual or post-lingual: Hearing loss is known as pre-lingual when it develops before you learned to talk. If your hearing loss developed after you learned to speak, it’s called post-lingual. This will impact the way hearing loss is treated.
- Congenital hearing loss: If you’re born with hearing loss it’s called “congenital”.
If that seems like a lot, it’s because it is. The point is that each categorization helps us more accurately and effectively manage your symptoms.
Time to have a hearing test
So how do you know which type, and which sub-type, of hearing loss you have? Unfortunately, hearing loss isn’t really something you can self-diagnose with much accuracy. It will be hard for you to know, for instance, whether your cochlea is functioning correctly.
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 connect you to a wide range of machines, and help identify what type of hearing loss you have.
So the best way to figure out 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/