What is hearing loss?
Hearing loss, also known as partial deafness, is a decrease in hearing sensitivity. It affects one and both ears and can occur in different types and degrees.
As for the types, there are three:
- Sensorineural hearing loss: the problem resides in the organs of the inner ear, directly linked to the nervous system.
- Conductive hearing loss: the lesion is located in the outer or middle ear, which prevents the detection of sounds coming from the outside.
- Mixed hearing loss: the problem is in both the conductive organs and the sensorineural system.
In the scale of degrees, the following are found:
- Mild hearing loss when the patient has difficulty understanding speech in noisy spaces.
- Moderate hearing loss when it is difficult to understand speech without a hearing aid.
- Severe or profound hearing loss when the patient will need hearing aids or an implant.
Symptoms of hearing loss
Hearing loss can occur at different ages, so symptoms may vary. Common symptoms may include some of the following conditions:
- Perceiving sounds that are too loud without actually being so.
- Difficulty following conversations when two or more people are talking.
- Difficulty differentiating high-pitched sounds from each other.
- Increased understanding of male voices.
- Feeling off balance or dizzy.
- Sensation of pressure in the ear.
Other symptoms may include:
- Sensation of loss of balance or dizziness.
- Sensation of pressure in the ear.
- Constant ringing in the ear.
What are the causes of hearing loss?
The causes may be due to different reasons. Some of them are the following:
- Age. People over 65 years of age may suffer hearing loss.
- Noise. Prolonged exposure can cause hearing loss.
- Hereditary factors can cause hearing loss problems due to the connexin-26 gene.
- Infections. Viruses and bacteria can damage the ear, in addition to untreated childhood otitis.
- Otosclerosis. It affects the mobility of the bones of the middle ear, reducing the efficiency in the transmission of vibrations.
- Orthotoxic” agents. Certain drugs, alcohol and tobacco can damage the ear.
Can it be prevented?
Prevention is based on avoiding risk factors as much as possible. This also depends on the cause, i.e. if the hearing loss is genetic, prevention is not possible.
It is important to avoid high volumes, especially to promote healthy hearing hygiene.
What does the treatment consist of?
Treatment varies depending on the degree of the pathology. In cases where it is mild or moderate, the conventional treatment is the placement of a hearing aid.
In cases of profound hearing loss, a bone conduction implant can be used to transmit sound through the skull bone to the damaged ear. It is important to follow the instructions of an otolaryngologist.