What is hearing loss?

Hearing loss is the inability to hear sounds in a normal range of frequencies. It affects people’s ability to listen, communicate and understand speech. Hearing loss can be caused by disease or injury, such as ear infections and head trauma, or it can be present from birth (congenital).

Hearing loss may affect one ear or both ears equally. In some cases, one ear is affected more than the other.

Types of hearing loss:

Mild hearing loss: You may notice that people sound as if they mumble or speak with a lisp. In addition to poor word recognition, you may also have trouble discerning high-pitched sounds such as “s” and “f.”

Moderate hearing loss: You will have difficulty understanding speech across a room and even in close proximity with someone speaking directly into your good ear. You might need to ask people to repeat themselves often; they may think you’re being rude when they become frustrated by having to repeat themselves.

Severe hearing loss: If you have severe hearing loss, you’ll have difficulty understanding speech regardless of its volume or clarity — even if the person is standing right next to you speaking directly into your good ear with a normal tone of voice!

Symptoms of hearing loss

Hearing loss may be temporary or permanent. It can affect one ear or both. If a hearing problem lasts for several weeks, see your GP for advice. If your symptoms last for more than three months, see your GP as it could be caused by a serious illness such as Ménière’s disease.

The following are common symptoms of hearing loss:

• You have difficulty understanding speech on the telephone even with the volume turned up high.
• You find it difficult to follow conversations in noisy places like restaurants and parties.
• You need to turn the TV volume up much louder than other people do in order to hear properly.
• People seem mumbling or speaking too quickly when they’re talking to you – especially if they’re standing away from you or if there’s background noise present (e.g., other people talking).
• When someone speaks directly into your ear (for example, when giving instructions), you don’t hear them properly but instead experience pain or discomfort in your ear (this is called hyperacusis).

Causes of hearing loss

There are a number of causes of hearing loss. These include:

Age-related hearing loss (presbycusis)

This is the most common cause of hearing loss and affects about one in three people aged over 65. It’s caused by a gradual loss of sensory cells (hair cells) in the inner ear. This reduces your ability to hear high-pitched sounds, such as whispers or birdsong.

Almost everyone has some age-related hearing loss by their mid-50s, but not everyone has noticed it yet. If you have difficulty understanding speech in noisy situations, such as in restaurants or at parties, you may have age-related hearing loss.

Noise exposure

Workplace noise exposure is linked to temporary and permanent hearing loss. People who work in factories, construction sites or nightclubs are at increased risk of hearing damage from loud noises on the job.

Ototoxic medications

Some medications can damage your ears and cause temporary or permanent hearing loss if taken for long periods of time or at high doses. Some antibiotics, diuretics (water pills), anticonvulsants and chemotherapy drugs are known ototoxins that can cause deafness if taken for a long time or at high doses.

Hearing loss risk factors

The following may increase your risk of hearing loss:

Noise exposure. Exposure to loud noises, such as those from construction or military training, can damage the tiny hair cells in your inner ear. These hair cells help transmit sound waves that your brain recognizes as noise.

Age. As you get older, you’re more likely to have some degree of hearing loss. Hearing changes are common as you age, and they may be a sign of an underlying medical condition.

Family history. If you have a family member who has hearing loss, you may be at greater risk of developing it yourself.

Genes and chromosomes. Some people are born with genes that put them at higher risk for hearing loss than others do; these genes also may be passed down through families.

Less common causes of hearing loss

Some causes of hearing loss are rarer than others. The following are some of the less common causes of hearing loss:

Age-related hearing loss – This type of hearing loss is more likely to affect people as they get older. Most people will have a gradual decline in their ability to hear, but this can be made worse by other factors such as exposure to loud noises or ear infections.

Meniere’s disease – This is a condition that can cause episodes of vertigo (where you feel like you’re spinning) and fluctuating hearing loss. It can also cause tinnitus (a ringing sound in your ears).

Stridor – Stridor is a high-pitched noise that comes from the back of the throat when someone has a blocked airway, or if there is swelling in the throat or upper chest.

Hereditary sensorineural deafness – Some types of hereditary sensorineural deafness can affect children from birth, while others develop later in childhood or adulthood. The most common type affects both ears, making it difficult for someone to hear speech or other sounds clearly.

Tests for hearing loss

There are several tests that can be done to determine whether you have a hearing loss, and what kind. The most common test for hearing loss is an audiogram, which shows how well you hear at different frequencies (sounds).

Other tests may include:

Auditory brainstem response (ABR) test – This measures the response of the inner ear, nerve pathways and brainstem to sound. It’s often used in children, especially those who don’t respond well to other types of testing. Some people also use this test as a baseline measurement before they get hearing aids or cochlear implants.

Otoacoustic emissions (OAE) test – This measures how well your outer hair cells respond to sounds. If they don’t respond normally, it may mean you have damage to your inner ear.

Tympanometry and acoustic reflex threshold measurements – These tests measure how well your eardrum vibrates when exposed to certain sounds, and whether there are any irregularities in your middle ear that would indicate problems with your hearing or balance system.

Hearing loss treatments

Hearing loss is not a condition to be taken lightly. It is a decrease in the ability to hear sounds and can affect your daily life. If you have hearing loss, it may not be possible for you to hear certain sounds clearly or at all. This may make it hard for you to understand what people are saying and make it more difficult to communicate with others.

There are many different types of hearing loss, but most fall into two categories: conductive and sensorineural. Conductive hearing loss occurs when there is damage to any part of the outer or middle ear, preventing sound waves from reaching the inner ear or cochlea. Sensorineural hearing loss occurs when there is damage to the inner ear or auditory nerve that prevents signals from being sent to the brain where they can be understood.

Treatments for Hearing Loss

Hearing aids are one of the most common forms of treatment for those with conductive and sensorineural hearing loss. These devices amplify sound so that it can reach the eardrum and travel through its bones into the cochlea where it can be recognized by neurons and translated into electrical impulses which travel along nerves until they reach your brain.