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Hearing loss can have different causes, depending on whether it occurs in a child or in an adult. Hearing loss in the youngest may be the result of birth defects or childhood infections. In adults, it can be caused by noise or an aging body. Find out what the causes of hearing loss are.

Hearing lossindicates a hearing impairment in which sounds are not conducted or perceived properly. Hearing loss, depending on whether it occurs inin a childorin an adult , may have differentreasons. Hearing loss in the youngest may have its source in prenatal life. This is why newborns have been screened for hearing impairment for several years. In turn, in adults, hearing loss may be caused by, for example, noise or aging of the body.

Conductive and sensorineural hearing loss

There are two types of hearing loss:

  • conductive hearing loss- patients complain of hearing impairment in low sounds. The patient understands speech in noise better and has no hearing problems when talking on the phone. Accompanying symptoms are tinnitus (and tinnitus in the course of chronic otitis media)
  • sensorineural hearing loss -patients hear worse high-pitched sounds, e.g. they hear the sound of a bell worse than knocking on the door. There may be tinnitus and a feeling of "fullness" in the ear

Conductive hearing loss - causes

  • obstruction of the external auditory canal (e.g. by ear wax, foreign body, otitis externa, less often a tumor)
  • otitis media (exudative) - accompanied by hearing loss, sometimes tinnitus, pain and a feeling of fullness in the ear, usually an altered appearance of the eardrum
  • otitis media (chronic) - there is a long-lasting leakage from the ear, usually a perforation (perforation) of the eardrum is visible
  • ear trauma - perforation of the eardrum and / or blood outside the eardrum is often visible
  • otosclerosis - tinnitus and whistling, dizziness, problems with balance, soft speech are characteristic
  • tumors (benign or malignant) - unilateral hearing loss appears
  • birth defects, e.g. Treacher-Collins syndrome - then there is hearing lossconductive and anomalies of the second gill arch

Sensorineural hearing loss - causes

  • trauma (e.g. fracture of the temporal bone) - perforation of the tympanic membrane and / or the presence of blood outside it are often visible
  • tumors of the cerebellopontine angle, e.g. neuroma of the auditory nerve (eighth) - apart from hearing loss, there are tinnitus and balance disorders. Some patients may develop paresis of the facial or trigeminal nerves
  • disturbances of microcirculation in the inner ear, caused by embolism, thrombosis or vascular spasm
  • damage caused by a viral infection (mumps, rubella, shingles or flu)
  • use of ototoxic drugs (e.g. acetylsalicylic acid, aminoglycosides, vancomycin, cisplatin, furosemide, ethacrynic acid, quinine)
  • poisoning with toxic substances
  • Ménière's disease - hearing loss goes hand in hand with tinnitus, dizziness, nausea, a feeling of crowding in the ear

Younger and younger struggle with hearing loss

Source: biznes.newseria.pl

Sensorineural hearing loss and excessive noise

Hearing loss can also be the result of excessive noise. It leads to micro-injuries of the ossicles. Excessive exposure to noise degrades the nerve cells responsible for picking up sound and transmitting it to the brain. Consequently, they cannot transmit the sound wave to it.

Otolaryngologists warn that 20-year-olds suffer from hearing loss more and more often. This is the result of the widespread use of headphones, e.g. for phone calls or listening to music searched on the Internet using a smartphone. Excessive exposure to noise is also harmful, e.g. during rock concerts, loud listening to music, riding a motorcycle, lighting up fireworks, etc., as it causes micro-injuries to the ossicles. Long-term noise levels exceeding 85 decibels can lead to temporary hearing loss. Meanwhile, research has shown that the noise level in school corridors during breaks reaches even 110 decibels!

Age-related sensorineural hearing loss

Age-related hearing loss ( presbyacusis ) is a natural hearing loss caused by degenerative changes in the inner ear that affects people over the age of 50. A person with "senile hearing loss" does not receive all the sounds and noises that he has heard so far. He also has a problem with distinguishing them - sounds start to "blend".

This will be useful to you

Hearing test - do you have hearing loss?

Analyze a few everyday situations and you'll find out if it's okayyou hear Answer the questions. If you answer "yes" at least once - your hearing requires a thorough examination by an otolaryngologist.

  • Does anyone keep telling you that the radio or TV is too loud?
  • Do you have problems understanding your interlocutor on the phone?
  • Do you think most people are slurredly?
  • Do you often ask to repeat the question?
  • Is it difficult for you to listen to the conversation in a larger group?
  • Do you understand worse what someone is saying when you can't see their face?
  • Do you have trouble recognizing treble?
  • If someone whispers to you, do you have difficulty understanding his words?

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ENT