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Understanding The 3 Basic Types of Hearing Loss
Our ears have these two main functions;
allowing us to both hear and maintain our balance. However,
throughout the duration of a lifetime, the hearing function
of our ears become worn out and less effective. In fact,
one of three adults over the age of 65 has a hearing
loss and half of seniors over the age of 75 have a hearing
loss. Such loss is commonly due to over-exposure to
noise, heredity or both.
The signs of hearing loss is normally
relatively easy to detect:
1) If you notice everyone sounds muffled.
2) It is difficult to understand words.
3) You request others to speak more slowly, clearly
or loudly.
4) Often need to turn up the volume on your TV or radio.
If you suffer from any of the above,
combined with a desire to withdraw from conversations
or avoid social settings, it is highly likely that you
are suffering from a loss of hearing.
Most hearing loss results from damage
to the cochlea ( a coiled structure in the inner ear
responsible for hearing ). This loss is usually a result
of prolonged exposure to loud noises of 85 decibel or
higher. A decibel is the unit used to measure degrees
of loudness and is often abbreviated to dB.
Other common causes of hearing are:
1) Ear infections.
2) Abnormal bone growths.
3) Tumors of the outer or middle ear.
4) Ruptured ear drums.
Other non-age related causes for deafness
include Auditory Neuropathy, Meniere's Disease, Noise
Ostosclerosis and Usher's Syndrome.
There are three basic types of hearing
loss:
Type # 1 - Conductive Hearing Loss
This occurs when sound is not conducted
efficiently to the middle ear, which may be caused by
fluid, earwax, infection, foreign matter or malformation
of the middle or outer ear.
Type # 2 - Sensorineural Hearing Loss
This condition occurs when there is
damage to the inner ear ( cochlea ) or to the nerve
pathways from the inner ear to the brain. Disease, birth
injury, drugs or genetic syndromes can also be causes
of Sensorineural hearing loss. Additional causes may
include noise exposure, viruses, head trauma, aging
and tumors.
A person suffering from this type of
hearing loss may exhibit a lack of speech comprehension.
Type # 3 - Mixed Hearing Loss
Sometimes a person may suffer from conductive
hearing loss combined with a Sensorineural hearing loss.
This type of hearing loss is known as mixed hearing
loss.
A person can have a loss of hearing
in one ear or in both ears. The degree of the severity
of hearing loss in each ear may be equal or disparate.
The loss of hearing can either occur suddenly or over
a long period of time.
Some people suffer from hearing losses
that fluctuate and their condition may worsen or improve
erratically. This is usually caused by an ear infection
causing conductive hearing loss.
If you suspect you have a hearing problem,
you should consult your health specialist to get a professional
diagnosis and appropriate treatment for your condition
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