Every sense our body has is important and the same is true for our sense of hearing. A great example of this would be your ears hearing the sound of screeching tires allowing you to determine which direction the sound originated from and enabling you to move out of the way to safety. However, if you were hearing impaired, your sense of hearing would not have picked up on the warning sound, resulting in injury or worse.
Severe damage to the auditory system is the cause of hearing impairment. Each ear is comprised of inner, middle and outer ear chambers. These chambers contain the necessary structures needed to hear. A loss of hearing becomes present due to damage from such things as illness, trauma or infections.
In all, there are four types of hearing loss; they include conductive, sensorineural, mixed, and central hearing loss. Unfortunately, hearing loss is often mistaken for other chronic ailments such as depression and dementia. Additionally, hearing loss is quite prominent in the senior population due to the destruction of hair cells in the cochlea due to age. Once these vital hair cells have been destroyed, the body can not replace them. This means hearing loss is permanent.
Signs And Symptoms:
Constantly needing conversation to be repeated Extreme volume on the TV, radio, or other electronic device Depression Withdrawal from social activities Unable to understand speech No response to sound
In adults, hearing loss may be gradual and not noticed in the beginning. Many times, it is not recognized until damage to the auditory system is extensive. Other times it is not picked up until a visit to the doctor for other reasons. Your doctor will then need to determine the type of hearing loss you have, the degree, and the location in the auditory system it has occurred. Additionally, hearing loss in adults can be attributed to aging (presbycusis), tumors, and viral infections such as the flu or herpes.
Hearing loss in children is most commonly caused by viral or bacterial infections such as mumps, rubella, meningitis, and multiple sclerosis.
Diagnosis and treatment:
A thorough physical examination as well as specialized diagnostic testing are used to determine if hearing loss is present as well as rule out other conditions that may be the cause of the loss.
Surgical intervention, medications and hearing aids are all methods of treatment for hearing loss. It is important to remember that prevention is key to sustaining the precious gift of hearing. If you are exposed to excessive noise, perhaps by working in a factory with heavy machinery, protecting your ears is the best defense against hearing loss.
Barb Hicks is a licensed registered nurse and featured writer on Clivir.com where she shares her knowledge about Sensorineural Hearing Loss Symptoms with others. You can also find her other lessons including Central Hearing Loss Causes on Clivir.
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