The Research series begins with some up-to-date information, gleened from the past year off of the web and using Google as the primary search engine. Basic information is provided in outline format. You will see the three basic types and some of the potential causes for that type of hearing loss. There are also some links to medical remedies. I chose to stay away from "home" remedies because anybody and everybody wants you to try their solution, LOL!
And so we begin:
Types of Loss
I. Conductive
a. Fluid in the middle ear from colds
b. Ear infection (otitis media)
c. Allergies (serous otitis media)
d. Poor Eustachian tube function
e. Perforated eardrum
f. Benign tumors
g. Impacted earwax (cerumen)
h. Infection in the ear canal (external otitis)
i. Presence of a foreign body
j. Absence or malformation of the outer ear, ear
canal, or middle ear
II. Sensorineural
a. Illnesses
b. Drugs that are toxic to hearing
c. Hearing loss that runs in the family (genetic or
hereditary)
d. Aging
e. Head trauma
f. Malformation of the inner ear
g. Exposure to loud noise
III. Mixed
a. Literally a mix of any or all of the above
b. Damage in the outer or middle ear and in the
inner ear (cochlea) or auditory nerve
Causes of Hearing Loss by Type
I. Conductive
A. Fluid in the middle ear from colds
B. Otitis Media - middle ear infection or
inflammation
i. This inflammation often begins with infections
that
cause sore throats, colds or other respiratory problems,
and spreads to
the middle ear. Infections caused by
viruses or bacteria, acute or chronic.
ii. Acute Otitis Media - typically associated with
fluid
accumulation in the middle ear together with signs or
symptoms of ear
infection
iii. Chronic Otitis Media - is a persistent
inflammation of
the middle ear, typically for a minimum of a month
iv. Links:
1. Otitis Media
i. http://www.uptodate.com
ii. http://www.nlm.nih.gov
iii. http://www.cdc.gov
iv. Links:
1. Otitis Media
i. http://www.uptodate.com
ii. http://www.nlm.nih.gov
iii. http://www.cdc.gov
2.
Acute Otitis Media
iii. http://www.nejm.org
3. Chronic Otitis Media
C. Allergies (serous otitis media)
i. Allergic inflammation that starts in the nose
and throat
ii. Food allergies can be an undiagnosed cause
iii.
Links:
D. Poor Eustachian tube function
i. Connects the middle ear to the throat and
equalizes
middle ear pressure with environmental pressure
ii. Symptoms are:
1. Closed when supposed to be open
2. Open when supposed to be closed
3. Alternating between open and closed states,
creating a clicking noise
iii. Links:
E. Perforated eardrum
i. Is an opening or hole in the thin layer of
tissue
(eardrum) that separates the outer and middle ear
ii. Caused by very loud noises or foreign objects in
ears, injury, etc.
iii. Links:
F. Benign tumors
i. Typical name - Acoustic neuromas and are rare
ii. Early detection for best results in treatment
iii. Links:
G. Impacted earwax (cerumen)
i.
Occurs when earwax becomes wedged in (impacted)
and blocks the ear canal
ii. Continuously trying to clean your ear of cerumen
by
using a cotton swab, for example, can damage your ear
iii. Links:
H. Infection in the ear canal (external otitis)
i. Common name is Swimmers Ear
ii. Microbial infection
iii. Links:
I. Presence of a foreign body
i. Got a bug in your ear?
ii. Remove Q-tip
iii. Fingers are too big anyways
J. Absence or malformation of the outer ear, ear
canal, or
middle ear
i. Typically this is due to a birth defect
ii. Links:
i. Microtia
II. Sensorineural
K. Otosclerosis
i. A disease involving the middle ear
ii. Affects the movement of the tiny bones in the
middle
ear
iii. Conductive type of hearing loss
iv. Often surgically treatable
v. Links:
L. Ménière's disease
i. Also effects inner, but causes are unknown
ii. Persons will often have a combination of Sensorineural
hearing loss, dizziness (vertigo), ringing in the ear
(tinnitus), and
sensitivity to loud sounds
iii. The hearing loss comes and goes, but over time,
some
loss becomes permanent
iv. Diet and medication may help, but there is no
cure.
Surgery may be suggested
v. Links:
M. Autoimmune inner ear disease
i. Sudden-onset hearing loss is fast, dramatic, and
should
be medically treated as soon as possible. With swift
medical treatment,
the hearing loss from this disease
can be reduced
ii. Is an inflammatory condition of the inner ear
iii. Occurs when the body's immune system attacks
cells in the inner ear that are mistaken for a virus or bacteria
iv. Rare - less than one percent of the 28 million
Americans
v. Links:
N. Very loud noises
i. Can cause permanent loss
ii. Totally avoidable in most cases
iii. Links:
O. Acoustic neuromas
i.
Tumor = this is a noncancerous (benign) and
usually
slow-growing tumor that develops on the main nerve
leading from your
inner ear to your brain
ii. Symptoms can include hearing loss or ringing in
one ear
accompanied by a feeling of fullness (ears plugged up)
iii. Surgery is NOT typically recommended
iv. Links:
P. TBI - Traumatic brain injury
i.
Physical head injury: skull fractures, a hole
in the
eardrum, and damage to the middle
ear structures,
resulting in hearing loss
ii. Causes? Isn’t that a "no brainer"? LOL
iii. Links:
Q. Presbycusis
i. Age-related hearing loss
ii. Sensorineural Hearing Loss
iii. Speech begins to sound muffled or unclear
because the
ability to hear high pitch sounds is the first to go
iv. Rhyming mistakes can occur - hearing fin instead
of tin
or just plain thinking you heard one word, but it was
another word
altogether
R. Ototoxic Medications
i. Known to be a cause of hearing loss
ii. Types of Ototoxic Medications
i. Aminoglycoside antibiotics (such as
streptomycin, neomycin, or kanamycin)
ii. Salicylates in large quantities (aspirin)
iii. Loop diuretics (lasix or ethacrynic acid)
iv. Drugs used in chemotherapy regimens
(cisplatin,
carboplatin, or nitrogen mustard)
III. Mixed - A combination of any of the above!
There are different types of hearing loss, depending on which part of the hearing pathway is affected. A specialist will always try to localize where in the hearing pathway the problem lays, so as to be able to classify the hearing loss as belonging to one of the following groups. They are:-
ReplyDelete1) Conductive hearing loss
2) Sensor neural hearing loss
3) Central hearing loss
4) Functional hearing loss
5) Mixed hearing loss
Hearing Tests