SENSORINEURAL HEARING LOSS
In sensorineural hearing loss, the tiny hair-like cells in the cochlea or auditory nerve are missing or damaged, resulting in weak nerve signals being sent to the brain.
Sensorineural hearing loss is caused by the following factors:
- Exposure to loud noise
- Illnesses
- Genetics
- Aging
- Head Trauma
- A malformation of the inner ear
- Drugs that damage the hearing (ototoxic drugs)
CONDUCTIVE HEARING LOSS
Conduction hearing loss occurs when sound does not reach the inner ear because of an issue with the outer or middle ear. The majority of cases of conductive hearing loss can be treated with medication or surgery. The majority of people benefit from hearing aids if they cannot be treated with these methods.
Conductive hearing loss is caused by the following factors:
- Middle ear fluid
- Ear infections
- Symptoms of allergies
- Perforated eardrums
- Impacted cerumen (earwax)
- Benign tumors
- Swimmer’s Ear
- Having a foreign object in the ear
- There is an absence or malformation of the outer ear, ear canal, or middle ear
MIXED HEARING LOSS
Mixed hearing loss involves both conductive and sensorineural hearing loss in the same person. When a person’s outer or middle ear is damaged, as well as their inner ear or auditory nerve, they suffer from mixed hearing loss. While conductive hearing loss may be reversible, sensorineural hearing loss is permanent. It is most common for mixed hearing loss to result from trauma or injury to the ear, but it can also be caused by a combination of those factors.
AUDITORY PROCESSING DISORDERS
Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) is not a type of hearing impairment, but rather, it affects someone’s capability to make sense of, organize, or evaluate what they hear. Although there are situations when APD is caused by an injury, illness, tumor or genetics, in many cases the underlying cause remains a mystery. The symptoms which APD present are somewhat alike to those of hearing loss but require separate treatments for successful management.
