What is Sensorineural hearing loss
A survey reports that 90% of people who suffer
from the loss of hearing ability account for Sensorineural hearing loss. It can
be mild, severe or permanent, it entirely depends upon the underlying cause and
severity of the condition. Sensorineural hearing loss occurs due to the damage
in the hair cells that are present in your inner ear or damage to the nerve,
that crosses from the inner ear to the brain while carrying signals to the
brain. Age factor is one of the most common causes of sensorineural hearing
loss in people, but several other factors are responsible for the same.
Sensorineural hearing loss is categorized into
two parts, congenital and acquired sensorineural hearing loss. Congenital
hearing loss occurs during pregnancy due to various factors like prematurity,
genetics, diabetes to the mother, lack of oxygen supply during the birth and so
on. Whereas hearing loss that occurs after the birth can be caused due to
various external factors like exposure to loud noise, injury, infection, side
effects of certain drugs or age-related issues.
Some of the common causes of
acquired sensorineural hearing loss
- Aging
Aging
is the most important factor that is responsible for causing a hearing
disability in a person. A study reports that a majority of people between the
age group of 65-75 years are diagnosed with Sensorineural hearing loss. It
occurs over time and affects both the ears of the person, which makes it quite
difficult to get noticed.
- Exposure to loud sound
Exposure
to loud music or noise for an elongated period results in hearing loss.
Exposure to sound louder than 85 decibels result in such a condition.
- Disease and infection
A
person can experience sensorineural hearing loss if he/she is exposed to
various diseases such as mumps, meningitis, multiple sclerosis, ménières
disease, etc.
- Side effects of certain medicines
A side effect of certain drugs like aspirin,
cisplatin, quinine or the antibiotics streptomycin & gentamicin, can even
cause certain infections and cause sensorineural hearing loss in a person.
- Tumors
An abnormal skin growth in the middle ear
leads to sensorineural hearing loss in a patient. Acoustic neuroma, a benign
tumor is a common tumor that affects the auditory system and cholesteatoma.
Symptoms of sensorineural
hearing loss
- A person may experience loud sound in one ear
- A person may experience difficulty in hearing in noisy areas
- Unable to hear women's voice
- Unable to recognize high-pitched sounds (such as "s" or "th") from one another
- When you start hearing unclear voices from other people
- If you are experiencing Meniere disease, you may start feeling dizzy or off balance.
- May hear a ringing or buzzing sound in the ears which (tinnitus)
In
most cases, sensorineural hearing loss is permanent as the hair cells in the
inner ear which are damaged, cannot be repaired or replaced. If one has
experienced sensorineural hearing loss due to age factor its a permanent loss
of hearing ability. Mild sensorineural hearing loss can be cured in some cases
if medical help is taken immediately. An expert doctor will diagnose the
underlying treatment before suggesting the treatment for sensorineural hearing
loss. Patients who are diagnosed with mild acquired sensorineural hearing loss
can be treated by wearing hearing aids. Whereas those with severe sensorineural
hearing loss will be treated with cochlear implants. It is an electronic
hearing device that is surgically implanted directly into the inner ear. Your
doctor will advise on the risks and benefits before implantation. Seek medical
help as soon as you start experiencing symptoms of sensorineural hearing loss
to prevent it from getting severe.
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