More than 30 million Americans are living with hearing loss. The vast majority of people experience sensorineural hearing loss which is irreversible and progressive, making it one of the leading chronic health issues impacting older people in the United States.
The good news is that sensorineural hearing loss is highly treatable and can stave off corresponding issues like isolation and depression that sometimes emerge as hearing loss begins to erode quality of life. Although a great number of people live with this condition, it’s one that deserves more visibility so that folks can access the care and treatment that can restore a vibrant and healthy hearing life.
Types of hearing loss
There are two types of hearing loss, though some people may experience a mixed presentation of both types.
Conductive
The first type, most easily resolved, is caused by an obstruction that prevents sound from traveling from the world around and into the inner ear through the ear canal. The most common reason people experience conductive hearing loss is a buildup of earwax. In small children, they’ve often lodged a toy or other small object into their ear. Your physician or audiologist will physically examine your ear and remove the blockage and your hearing will return to normal.
Rarer causes of conductive hearing loss may be fluid from infection or allergies, tumors or benign growths, or genetic growth pattern.
Sensorineural
This type of hearing loss is classified by damage to the inner ear cells or the neurons that carry sound to the brain’s processing centers. It is overwhelmingly the most common type of hearing loss, as 90 percent of people with hearing loss suffer from sensorineural hearing loss. It is an irreversible and progressive condition, which means that it gets worse over time.
Causes of sensorineural hearing loss
Most often, sensorineural hearing loss happens because of a decline of the sensitive inner ear cells due to aging or excessive noise exposure. These cells are called stereocilia and they are integral to the hearing process. They receive sound from the world around you and transmute it into electrical impulses of sound information. This information is sent to the brain via the auditory nerve. Sensorineural hearing loss happens when we lose these cells or when the neurons of the ear are not properly functioning. In both cases, the sound information around us does not make it to the brain and we hear less.
There are less common causes of sensorineural hearing loss, like ototoxic medications which can be temporary. These are often prescribed with the understanding of both physician and patient that the risk of hearing loss is less important than the potential treatment of the disease, like in cases of cancer. Illnesses and head trauma may also result in this type of hearing loss and vary in whether they remain permanent. Congenital sensorineural hearing loss happens during pregnancy in very rare instances and may result from genetics or problems in utero or during birth.
Symptoms of sensorineural hearing loss
Most sensorineural hearing loss happens slowly and over time so that it can be extremely difficult to self-diagnose. In fact, friends and family most often notice this hearing loss first because of changes in their loved one’s behavior.
We lose frequencies instead of overall volumes, so one of the first signs of hearing loss is trouble with speech clarity. We may crank the volume up on the television until even that doesn’t work and we need closed captioning to understand dialogue, we might eschew phone calls because they are frustrating and effortful. We might even begin to avoid conversations altogether because words are so incomprehensible and muffled, like everyone is mumbling.
Treatments for sensorineural hearing loss
Although it’s permanent, sensorineural hearing loss is highly treatable. We have proven and effective solutions like hearing aids and cochlear implants that enhance most people’s hearing experiences.
What is particularly uplifting is that most people with hearing aids are satisfied and would recommend them to a friend suffering from hearing loss. And the vast majority of people report improved relationships as one of the outcomes of choosing to treat their hearing loss.
Schedule a hearing consultation
Being unable to hear is not an inevitable part of aging. If you think that you may be experiencing sensorineural hearing loss, make a plan to visit us for a hearing consultation. Our team of experts will guide you through a hearing exam, explain the results and work together to find your best solution.