There are many types of hearing loss and things that can cause it. Some types of hearing loss can be treated with hearing aids, while others require surgery, medical treatment, or cannot be treated at all. Let’s examine a few of the most common types of hearing loss, and review what can be done about it.
Sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL): this is the most common type of hearing loss seen as we age. People typically have slightly better hearing in the lower frequencies and poorer hearing in the middle and high frequencies. Hearing aids are almost always an option for this type of hearing loss unless there is a heavy neural component that makes speech understanding difficult in the brain. Some things that are associated with and can contribute to sensorineural hearing loss are: aging, high blood pressure, high fevers, use of heavy duty antibiotics, chemotherapy drugs, diabetes, and genetic predisposition to hearing loss. The good news is that oftentimes hearing aids can help the situation!
Noise Induced hearing loss (NIHL): This type of hearing loss is common in a person who has worked around a lot of noise (factory, tools, construction, etc) or has noisy hobbies (hunting, shooting, engines, etc). Hearing is typically within or close to the normal range up until about 1500 or 2000 Hz, then drops significantly. Some hallmarks of this type of hearing loss are that people usually have a great deal of difficulty in noise, and feel that they can hear people talking but cannot make out what they are saying clearly. The main treatment for NIHL is use of hearing aids.
Conductive hearing loss: a conductive hearing loss means that there is something physically wrong with the ear that blocks sound from being transmitted through the ear properly. It means the cochlea in the inner ear can hear, but something is blocking sound from getting through and being processed. It could be fluid in the middle ear, a bony growth in the middle ear bones (which are called “ossicles”), chronic ear infections, or a blockage in the ear canal. Conductive hearing must always be evaluated by an ENT doctor. Some types of conductive loss can be treated with medication, but others may need surgical intervention. If surgical intervention isn’t successful or is not an option, hearing aids may be recommended as a treatment.
Sudden hearing loss: This is by far the most frustrating and difficult type of hearing loss and it is not always treatable. People with sudden hearing loss wake up one day and their hearing is gone. Sometimes their doctors/ENTs are able to bring it back with steroidal treatments, but often the hearing is gone, the ability to understand words is minimal, and a hearing aid may help some with hearing environmental sounds, but understanding words may still be difficult, even with hearing aids. It absolutely is still worth coming in and trying the aids because quality of life is important and if the hearing aids improve quality of life, they are worth it. Another frustrating aspect is that we do not know what causes this, so it is difficult to prevent! However, if you know someone who wakes up one morning and can’t hear, get them to the Emergency Room or their doctor’s office right away. Sudden hearing loss needs to be treated within a week or 10 days for the best results.
