Conductive hearing loss occurs suddenly and is a consequence of changes in the external auditory canal. Sudden deterioration of hearing requires urgent medical consultation, as it may be related to mechanical damage or disease of the external auditory canal.
Conductive hearing lossis less common than sensorineural hearing loss. It is not related to the progressive aging process of the organism. However, it is sometimes the result of injuries and diseases. We are talking not only about ear diseases, but also about systemic diseases, e.g. cardiovascular diseases or metabolic diseases.
Conductive hearing loss can also result from blocking the ear canal with a foreign body, including earwax. Depending on the causes that provoked conductive hearing loss, surgical or drug treatment is recommended. Sometimes a hearing aid can help.
Conductive hearing loss - symptoms
Conductive hearing loss is manifested by a significant deterioration of hearing, especially in terms of high sounds, i.e. children's and women's voices, and birds singing. It can also apply to all signals.
Worsening of hearing may also be accompanied by a feeling of stuffy ear. Some patients experience ear congestion similar to when we intentionally close our ears to isolate ourselves from the surrounding noise.
Conductive hearing loss may affect one or both ears.
It is not uncommon for conductive hearing loss to be accompanied by pain. It occurs when the hearing loss is related to the ear disease.
Each situation in which there is a sudden deterioration of hearing requires urgent medical consultation. You should see an ENT or a hearing care professional. Hearing tests are the basis for diagnosis.
Conductive hearing loss - causes
There are many causes of conductive hearing loss, from earwax to cancer. Most often, however, this type of hearing loss is associated with obstruction of the ear canal, the causes of which may be:
- wax plug - formed as a result of too much earwax production
- a foreign body in the ear that may enter the ear canal as a result of head injuries, accidents or careless play with small objects that may get stuck in the ear (this applies primarily to young children and people who clean their ears with stickscosmetics)
- tumor, located within the auditory nerve or brain. One-sided deafness is characteristic of such a situation
Conductive hearing loss also develops as a result of ear diseases, which include:
- otitis media or, less often, the outer ear. The cause of the obstruction of the ear canal is the effusion accompanying the inflammation. But it's worth remembering that conductive hearing loss can develop not only with exudative inflammation, but also with acute or chronic
- otosclerosis, i.e. dysfunction of the ossicles (hammer, anvil and stapes), which make them hard and inelastic, and their work is ineffective
Conductive hearing loss can develop after ear (s) injuries and concern changes in the area of the eardrum, including its perforation, which may be caused by a head injury or prolonged exposure to loud noise.
Another cause of conductive hearing loss are drugs with ototoxic effects, i.e. hearing-damaging drugs. This group of drugs includes some groups of antibiotics (e.g. aminoglycosides or macrolides) and some non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs based on acetylsalicylic acid, and loop diuretics such as furosemide (a popular organic substance with diuretic properties).
Conductive hearing loss - research
Basic hearing tests that are performed when you suspect conductive hearing loss include:
- otoscopy
- tonal audiometry
- verbal audiometry
- tympanometry
In some cases, the auditory evoked potential test (ABR, BERA) is also performed.
Otoscopyis often called objective hearing examination. The examination takes a few minutes and is carried out using an otoscope, i.e. a light-emitting device that allows you to look into the ear canal and visually assess its condition. In this way, the condition of the eardrum and the ossicles chain is assessed, especially in terms of gaps that may occur in it. As a result of otoscopy, it is possible to confirm or rule out mechanical injuries of the ear canal, which may cause hearing loss.
Tympanometryis a test that records the deflections of the tympanic membrane under the influence of the pressure fluctuating within the ear canal. The test allows to assess the condition of the eardrum, patency of the Eustachian tube and the effectiveness of the ossicular chain. Tympanometry is extremely helpful in diagnosing otitis. Sometimes this examination is preceded by executiontone and verbal audiometry.
Impedance Audiometryis a very thorough test that allows you to determine the place and cause of hearing loss. This test includes tympanometry, measurement of the stapes reflexes and assessment of the condition of the Eustachian tube. They are performed using a tympanometer, stimulating the hearing with changing pressure and a sound of variable frequency (500, 1000, 2000 and 4000 Hz), which causes resonant vibrations. The examination is painless and takes several dozen minutes. The result allows you to determine the place of hearing damage.
In some cases, specialized hearing tests are also necessary, i.e.testing of ABR and BERA-evoked auditory potentials . Thanks to these tests, it is possible to assess the functioning of the auditory nerve and the emission of characteristic signals by the brain. In ABR, the brain waves generated by the brainstem are recorded, while in BERA - potentials evoked from the brainstem, as a result of sound stimulation.
The results of all tests are the basis for determining the treatment of conductive hearing loss.
Conductive hearing loss - treatment
It is good to know that conduction hearing loss is usually temporary and disappears after eliminating the cause that caused it. Only in some cases does it remain a permanent disease and require permanent hearing aids using hearing aids.
Treatment of conductive hearing loss depends on the underlying causes.
Surgical intervention is necessary when there is a foreign body in the ear canal after a mechanical injury to the ear or head. Surgery is necessary when the cause of the hearing loss is cancer.
Drug treatment is implemented in the case of exudative, acute or chronic middle or outer ear inflammation.
Outpatient procedures are performed on people whose ear canal has been blocked by earwax or a small foreign body that can be removed without cutting the tissues.
Choosing a hearing aid is also a method of treating conductive hearing loss, but hearing aids are most often offered to people who suffer from a mixed form of hearing loss, i.e. conductive-sensorineural hearing loss.
Hearing aids are also recommended for people who suffer from permanent hearing loss as a result of an injury or illness.
An ENT specialist should decide on the treatment of conductive hearing loss.
It is important that the patient is also involved in the recovery process, who should inform the doctor about the medications taken, illnesses andevents that could damage your hearing.
The information provided by the patient often speeds up the diagnosis and selection of the appropriate treatment. And the sooner the correct treatment is started, the lower the losses will be.
Delaying otitis media treatment is especially dangerous as it can lead to permanent deafness.
Also read:
- Hearing disorders - causes and types
Anna Jarosz A journalist who has been involved in popularizing he alth education for over 40 years. Winner of many competitions for journalists dealing with medicine and he alth. She received, among others The "Golden OTIS" Trust Award in the "Media and He alth" category, St. Kamil awarded on the occasion of the World Day of the Sick, twice the "Crystal Pen" in the national competition for journalists promoting he alth, and many awards and distinctions in competitions for the "Medical Journalist of the Year" organized by the Polish Association of Journalists for He alth.
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