Table of contents:
- Types of hearing loss that may not be known
- 1. Conductive hearing loss
- 2. Sensorineural hearing loss
- 3. Combined hearing loss
It is normal for hearing ability to decline with age. However, if you don't pay much attention to ear health from an early age, it is not impossible that you will experience hearing loss when you are young. The reason is, there are several types of hearing loss that can affect anyone, not only the elderly.
Although drugs or surgery can almost solve hearing problems. If the hearing problem is permanent, the only solution is to use a hearing aid. In order to prevent it, let's learn more about the following types of hearing loss.
Types of hearing loss that may not be known
There are three types of hearing loss which are divided based on the cause, including:
1. Conductive hearing loss
This hearing loss usually occurs when sound vibrations cannot get into the inner ear. This condition can be caused by disruption of the ossicles (stapes, malleus, and incus) or other parts of the ear that block the flow of sound from reaching the cochlea. The problem of the eardrums not being able to vibrate sound waves properly can also be the cause of this conductive deafness.
Other causes of this type of conductive hearing loss include:
- Earwax that has accumulated. Your ears produce smelly wax and make your ears itch when you get enough. Clean the earwax with cotton buds, often pushing the dirt deeper, causing the dirt to build up and clump up so that it blocks out sound.
- Swimmer's ear. Water that gets into the ear makes the ear moist and causes an infection. This condition is also known as otitis externa. The infection causes swelling, which can interfere with your hearing.
- Blocked ears. Pieces of cotton from cotton buds can come off and be left in the ear. This condition can clog the ears so that the incoming sound is less audible.
- The presence of fluid in the middle ear. Flu, allergies, ear infections, or diseases of the respiratory tract can cause fluid to build up and interfere with the work of the eustachian tube that has to open and close.
- Flaw. The outer ear canal that is not perfect at birth can cause hearing loss. This condition is called atresia and can be treated with ear reconstruction surgery.
- Otosclerosis. An abnormal growth of bone shape in the middle ear can make the ear unresponsive and not vibrating. As a result, you can not hear the sound properly.
- Cholesteatoma. Benign tumor growth in the middle ear due to repeated ear infections. If more than one tumor is present, this condition can damage the ear and cause hearing loss.
2. Sensorineural hearing loss
This hearing loss is most common. If you have this condition, the voice becomes difficult to hear and unclear. This ear problem occurs in the inner ear, cochlear nerve, or disorders of the cilia (tiny hairs in the ear).
Types of sensorineural hearing loss are usually caused by a variety of specific medical conditions and problems, such as:
- Aging.As you get older, the ear's ability to hear will decrease. This condition is also called presbycusis.
- Acoustic trauma. This condition occurs due to exposure to loud noises for a long time. A noisy environment with loud music, engine noises, or other loud noises can increase the chance of ear damage.
- Autoimmune disease that attacks the inner ear.Immune system disorders can affect ear health. This condition can worsen the health of the ear so that the ear becomes ringing or ringing.
- Meniere's disease. This chronic condition causes hearing loss such as symptoms of vertigo and tinnitus.
- Sudden changes in air pressure. Activities such as scuba diving, boarding a plane, or parachuting can increase the risk of damage to the inner ear nerves. When landing or returning to land, fluid in the inner ear can shift, leak and rupture.
- Acoustic neuroma.These non-cancerous tumors can affect the nerves that send sound signals to the inner ear and brain. Hearing impaired is an early sign of this condition.
3. Combined hearing loss
Combined hearing loss is a combination of conductive and sensorineural hearing loss. People with this condition usually experience sensorineural hearing loss first. Over time without treatment, hearing loss gets worse and leads to conductive disturbances.
