Hearing Loss in Detail-The Symptoms and Causes

Symptoms and Causes of Hearing Loss

Age related hearing loss is common. Approximately 35 million Americans over the age of 60 experience hearing loss. There are three types of hearing loss:

• Conductive (involves outer or middle ear)

• Sensorineural (involves inner ear)

• Mixed (combination of the two)

While exposure to loud noises and age have a huge effect on hearing loss, there are many other factors as well. These factors include but are not limited to:

• Viral infections

• Diabetes

• Smoking

• Injury

• Obesity

• Hypertension

Unfortunately there isn’t a way to reverse or cure hearing loss, however, there is a way to treat it. Visiting a hearing specialist has many benefits including creating a step by step treatment plan to get you back to normal life. If you’re experiencing any of the following symptoms, you may want to consider seeing a hearing specialist.

Symptoms of Hearing Loss

• Trouble hearing consonants

• Muffling of speech or other sounds

• Frequently asking others to repeat themselves or to speak louder

• Needing to turn up the volume on the television or radio

• Withdrawal from conversations

• Avoidance of social settings

• Difficulty of hearing words with background noise such as in restaurants or shopping centers

Causes of Hearing Loss

To better understand hearing loss, we need to first look at the mechanics of how your ears work.

How Your Ears Are Able to Hear

“Your ears are made up of three essential parts: outer ear, middle ear, and inner ear. Sound waves pass through the outer ear and cause vibrations at the eardrum. The eardrum and three small bones of the middle ear amplify the vibrations as they travel to the inner ear. There, the vibrations pass through fluid in a snail-shaped structure in the inner ear (cochlea).” Attached to nerve cells in the cochlea are thousands of tiny hairs that help translate sound vibrations into electrical signals that are transmitted to your brain. Your brain turns these signals into sound. -Mayo Clinic

Leading Causes to Hearing Loss

• Earwax Buildup. This one is less serious as the treatment for this is just to remove the earwax that is preventing the ability to hear.

• Abnormal Growths or Tumors and Ear Infections. Typically found within the outer or inner ear, these causes usually lead to loss of hearing.

• Ruptured Eardrum. Loud blasts of noise, sudden changes in pressure, poking your eardrum with an object and infection can cause your eardrum to rupture and affect your hearing according to Mayo Clinic.

Risk Factors for Hearing Loss

• Loud Noise. Exposure to loud noises can potentially damage the cells within the inner ear. This damage can occur with loud noise over a length of extended time or even just with one loud blast of sound once.

• Age. As we age the inner ear structure starts to degenerate over time.

• Occupational Noise. Jobs that are usually around loud noises from machinery, firearms, and more. These jobs include farming, construction, and the military to name a few.

• Recreational Noise. Noise that is experienced through some of our hobbies such as motorcycles, rock concerts, firearms, and more.

• Hereditary. Your genetic makeup could make you more susceptible to hearing loss through ear damage from sound or aging.

• Certain Medications. According to Mayo Clinic, drugs such as the antibiotic gentamicin, sildenafil (Viagra) and certain chemotherapy drugs, can damage the inner ear. Temporary effects on your hearing — ringing in the ear (tinnitus) or hearing loss — can occur if you take very high doses of aspirin, other pain relievers, antimalarial drugs or loop diuretics.

When Should You See a Doctor After Experiencing Symptoms of Hearing Loss

You should see a doctor immediately. Choosing to delay your treatment can lead to further decline of your hearing and can ultimately result in more serious medical conditions such as dementia or Alzheimer's Disease.  

Be sure to give us a call today and we will walk you through a personalized treatment plan.