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Hearing loss – Types, symptoms, causes, and risks

While hearing loss is usually associated with aging, partial or total hearing loss can affect people of all ages if it occurs due to inner ear or nerve damage, among other causes. In fact, two-thirds of all people with hearing loss are aged below 65 years. In most people, using a hearing aid can help treat the issue, or it can be treated with surgery. This article is a basic overview of everything you need to know about hearing loss.

Types of hearing loss
Based on the part of the ear that is damaged, hearing loss can be categorized into three types:

Sensorineural hearing
The most common type of hearing loss, it makes up 90% of the total hearing loss cases. It is usually associated with causes like inner ear infections, congenital deformities, or head trauma.
Conductive hearing
This type of hearing loss occurs when there’s a buildup of earwax or one has a perforated or defective eardrum, and it is treatable in most cases.
Mixed hearing loss
This type of hearing loss is a combination of the first two types and is caused due to long-term ear infections that cause damage to the eardrum as well as the ossicles.

Symptoms of hearing loss
There are several symptoms associated with hearing loss, some of which are:

Problems with understanding words, especially in a noisy or crowded area
Problems with hearing consonants
Have to ask the other to speak slowly and more clearly
Have to increase the volume of television or radio

Causes of hearing loss
Before looking at the causes of hearing loss, let’s understand the process of hearing.

The ear is made up of three major parts: the outer, middle, and the inner ear. The process of hearing starts with the sound waves passing through the outer part of the ear and causing vibrations in the eardrum. Three small bones placed in the middle ear, along with the eardrum, increase these vibrations before they travel to the inner ear. Then, the vibrations travel through the cochlea, a structure found inside the inner ear.
The nerve cells in the cochlea have thousands of hair strands that convert sound vibrations into electrical signals, which are then transmitted to the brain. And the brain processes these signals and converts them into sound.

Now that we know how sounds travel in the ear, let’s look at the common factors that can cause hearing loss:

Damage caused due to aging and loud noise
A buildup of earwax
Ear infection
Abnormal growth of hair
Tumors
A ruptured eardrum

Risk factors associated with hearing loss
Several risk factors can be linked to loss of hearing, including the following:

Aging
The degenerative effects of aging can damage the inner part of the ear and cause hearing loss.
Loud noises
Exposure to loud noises can cause damage to the cells in the inner ear, causing mild to severe hearing loss.
Genetics
If hearing loss runs in the family, it makes one more susceptible to ear damage and partial or even total hearing loss.

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