WHAT IS HEARING LOSS?

Jones Hearing professionals are uniquely qualified to help identify and treat hearing loss. We believe that the more you know about your hearing loss, the better experience you will have with your treatment. Below we provide an abundance of information about hearing loss. Please feel free to refer to it as needed.

>>  Types and Causes of Hearing Loss
>>  Consequences of Hearing Loss
>>  Type, Degree, and Configuration of Hearing Loss
>>  Other Ways to Describe Hearing Loss
>>  Hearing Loss Statistics

Types and Causes of Hearing Loss

Hearing loss can result from an obstruction in the ear, an infection, or damage in any of the three parts of the ear.

Hearing loss resulting from a problem located in the outer or middle ear is called a conductive hearing loss. A hearing loss caused by a damaged inner ear is called sensorineural. This is the most common hearing loss. Should the loss be the result of a combination of these, this is known as a mixed hearing loss.

Possible causes of hearing loss:

• In the outer ear, typical problems include excessive accumulation of earwax and infection of the auditory canal.
• In the middle ear. perforation of the eardrum, infection and otosclerosis (a calcification around the stapes limiting its ability to move) are the most common causes of hearing loss.
• In the inner ear, the majority of hearing problems result from damaged inner ear structures. Typical causes include the natural aging process, excessive exposure to noise, medication that is toxic to the auditory system and head injuries. In such cases, the tiny hair cells in the cochlea are damaged, obstructing the transfer of sound signals to the brain.
• Tinnitus is the sensation of ringing or other sound in the head. It may occur in conjunction with a hearing loss. The causes of tinnitus are as varied as those of hearing loss and the cause may not be evident in the individual case. Learn more about Tinnitus.

Learn more about "Causes of Hearing Loss"  >>

Consequences of Hearing Loss

Recently, the Journal of the Academy of Audiology (Vol. 18, No. 2) reported that individuals with hearing loss who choose to NOT wear hearing aids have a lower quality of life than those who take advantage of hearing aid technology. In the USA in 1999, the National Council on Aging (NCOA) performed a survey among people over the age of 50 who have a hearing loss. The NCOA survey showed that most hearing instrument users reported significant improvement in their quality of life since they started using hearing instruments. The survey also showed that, in comparison to people who use hearing instruments, those who do not were more likely to report the following:

• Sadness and depression
• Worry and anxiety
• Paranoia
• Less social activity
• Emotional turmoil and insecurity

For those whose hearing loss was treated the reported benefits included:

• Better relationships with their families
• Better feelings about themselves / higher self-esteem
• Improved mental health
• Greater independence and security

More than half of the users reported improvement in their domestic relationships and in their level of self-esteem. About 40% said that their lives had improved in general, that they felt better mentally and they had a higher degree of self-confidence.

To find more information on the psychological, social and physical consequences of hearing loss, please go to the web site www.hear-it.org.

Type, Degree, and Configuration of Hearing Loss

When describing hearing loss we generally look at three attributes: type of hearing loss, degree of hearing loss, and the configuration of the hearing loss.

Types of Hearing Loss

Hearing loss can be categorized by where or what part of the auditory system is damaged. There are three basic types of hearing loss: conductive hearing loss, sensorineural hearing loss and mixed hearing loss.

Conductive Hearing Loss

Conductive hearing loss occurs when sound is not conducted efficiently through the outer ear canal to the eardrum and the tiny bones, or ossicles, of the middle ear. Conductive hearing loss usually involves a reduction in sound level, or the ability to hear faint sounds. This type of hearing loss can often be medically or surgically corrected.
Examples of conditions that may cause a conductive hearing loss include:

• Conditions associated with middle ear pathology such as fluid in the middle ear from colds, allergies (serous otitis media), poor eustachian tube function, ear infection (otitis media), perforated eardrum, benign tumors
• Impacted earwax (cerumen)
• Infection in the ear canal (external otitis)
• Presence of a foreign body
• Absence or malformation of the outer ear, ear canal, or middle ear
• Many outer and middle ear problems can be treated successfully with medication or surgery. Should this not be the case, remaining hearing loss can usually be helped by using hearing aids.

Sensorineural Hearing Loss

Sensorineural hearing loss occurs when there is damage to the inner ear (cochlea) or to the nerve pathways from the inner ear (retrocochlear) to the brain. Sensorineural hearing loss cannot be medically or surgically corrected. It is a permanent loss that not only involves a reduction in sound level, or ability to hear faint sounds, but also affects speech understanding, or the ability to interpret sounds.

Sensorineural hearing loss can be caused by diseases, birth injury, drugs that are toxic to the auditory system, and genetic syndromes. Sensorineural hearing loss may also occur as a result of noise exposure, viruses, head trauma, aging, and tumors.

Mixed Hearing Loss

Sometimes a conductive hearing loss occurs in combination with a sensorineural hearing loss. In other words, there may be damage in the outer or middle ear and in the inner ear (cochlea) or auditory nerve. When this occurs, the hearing loss is referred to as a mixed hearing loss. As a rule, this damage cannot be reversed medically. However, well-fitted hearing aids can usually help a great deal to overcome the resulting problems.

Learn more about Types of Hearing Loss >>

Degree of Hearing Loss

Degree of hearing loss refers to the "severity of the loss". The numbers are representative of the patient's thresholds, or the softest intensity at which sound is perceived. The following is one of the more commonly used classification systems:

Levels of Hearing Loss

The degree of hearing loss varies from person to person. Between the two extremes of hearing well and hearing nothing, there are many degrees of impairment. The terms used to describe the degree of hearing loss are mild, moderate, severe and profound. Most hearing losses are mild to moderate.

What Does the Degree of Hearing Loss Mean?

• Mild hearing loss: unable to hear soft sounds, difficulty understanding speech clearly in noisy environments.
• Moderate hearing loss: unable to hear soft and moderately loud sounds, considerable difficulty understanding speech, particularly with background noise.
• Severe hearing loss: some loud sounds are audible but communication without a hearing instrument is impossible.
• Profound hearing loss: some extremely loud sounds are audible but communication without a hearing instrument is impossible.
  

Configuration of Hearing Loss

The configuration or shape of the hearing loss refers to the extent of hearing loss at each frequency and the overall picture of hearing that is created. For example, a hearing loss that only affects the high frequencies would be described as a "high-frequency loss". Its configuration would show good hearing in the low frequencies and poor hearing in the high frequencies.

On the other hand, if only the low frequencies are affected, the configuration would show poorer hearing for low tones and better hearing for high tones. Some hearing loss configurations are flat, indicating the same amount of hearing loss for low and high tones.

Other Ways To Describe Hearing Loss

• Bilateral versus unilateral. Bilateral hearing loss means both ears are affected. Unilateral hearing loss means only one ear is affected.
• Symmetrical versus asymmetrical. Symmetrical hearing loss means that the degree and configuration of hearing loss are the same in each ear. An asymmetrical hearing loss is one in which the degree and/or configuration of the loss is different for each ear.
• Progressive versus sudden hearing loss. Progressive hearing loss is a hearing loss that becomes increasingly worse over time. A sudden hearing loss is one that has an acute or rapid onset and therefore occurs quickly, requiring immediate medical attention to determine its cause and treatment.
• Fluctuating versus stable hearing loss. Some hearing losses change—sometimes getting better, sometimes getting worse. Fluctuating hearing loss is typically a symptom of conductive hearing loss caused by ear infection and middle ear fluid, but also presents in other conditions such as Meniere's disease.

Hearing Loss Statistics

• Over 31.5 million Americans suffer from hearing loss. That’s one out of every ten people and one out of every four people over 65.
• 1 in 14 Generation Xers (aged 29-40) already have hearing loss.
• Hearing loss often develops gradually and can be hard to notice. Over half the people with hearing loss first have it pointed out by family members.
• Most hearing loss occurs from extended exposure to loud or constant noise. It may also result from certain illnesses, heredity, and various types of medication. Or it may simply be due to our natural aging process.
• The maximum sound intensity that can be tolerated without damage is 75 decibels. A typical conversation is around 60 decibels.
• Left untreated, hearing loss can lead to social isolation, anxiety, and depression.
• Like other medical conditions, hearing loss can be treated better the sooner it’s caught.
• 77.5% of new hearing instrument users gave them a positive rating. This puts new hearing instruments in the top-third of products and services in the U.S.*

*Source: Market Trak report, The Hearing Review, July 2005