Approximately 28 million Americans of all ages suffer from hearing loss. Most often, it is gradual and painless. People may not realize for several years that this problem is affecting them because it develops so slowly that at first it may be barely noticeable. It inhibits people's ability to experience the sounds and voices around them. And this affects their lives and the lives of those around them.
There are many causes of hearing loss, including:
- Aging
- Long-term exposure to noise
- Heredity
- Illness
- Reactions to medications
- Injury
Our totally free hearing test will help us determine which of the two basic hearing loss causes (below) may apply to you and the severity of your hearing loss.
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Conductive hearing loss is caused by anything that interferes with the transmission of sound from the outer to the inner ear.
- Possible causes include:
- Middle ear infections (otitis media)
- Collection of fluid in the middle ear ("glue ear" in children)
- Damage to the eardrum by infection or an injury
- Otosclerosis, a condition in which the ossicles of the middle ear become immobile because of growth of the surrounding bone
- Rarely, rheumatoid arthritis affects the joints between the ossicles
Sensorineural hearing loss is due to damage to the pathway for sound impulses from the hair cells of the inner ear to the auditory nerve and the brain.
Possible causes include:
- Age-related hearing loss - the decline in hearing that many people experience as they get older
- Acoustic trauma (injury caused by loud noise) to the hair cells
- Viral infections of the inner ear (may be caused by viruses such as mumps or measles)
- Ménière's disease (abnormal pressure in the inner ear)
- Certain drugs, such as aspirin, quinine and some antibiotics, which can affect the hair cells
- Acoustic neuroma, a benign (non-cancerous) tumor affecting the auditory nerve
- Viral infections of the auditory nerve (such as mumps and rubella)
- Infections or inflammation of the brain or brain covering (such as meningitis)
- Multiple sclerosis
- A brain tumor
- A stroke
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Testing for Levels of Hearing Loss
In testing for hearing loss, a MyLife Hearing Care Professional will administer a painless, quick and safe test that checks your ability to recognize tones and everyday words at different volume levels. The data produces a unique hearing pattern that is recorded on a chart called an audiogram. A MyLife Hearing Health Care Professional uses the data from your audiogram to determine whether you might benefit from hearing aids or whether medical treatment is indicated.
Hearing loss is especially prevalent in older people. If you are over age 50, consider a yearly hearing test as an important part of your physical checkup. | |
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