Sounds that register at a high frequency are more susceptible to loss than low ones, which may lead the victim of hearing loss to act as though they can hear sometimes and not at others.

This is simply because high sounds, for example consonants, are more difficult for them to hear.

However, depending on the severity of the loss, certain other sounds can still be heard, so it is unfair to say that the affected person is “just pretending” or practicing “selective hearing” for their own benefit.

High frequency hearing loss is a little-understood phenomenon that often precedes other types of hearing loss and, in some cases, comes simultaneously with them.

To the victim of high frequency hearing loss and other types of hearing disorders, everyday words may be missing little pieces. They hear the low inflections and vowels of each word, but not the rest of them, meaning that in some cases they will understand what is being said to them and respond, and in other cases they cannot hear well enough to function.

It may be useful for them to try and face the speaker whenever possible. Lip reading, a useful technique employed by those who are fully deaf, can also assist victims of any type of hearing loss.

Consulting with a doctor and determining the severity of normal or high frequency hearing loss can also be helpful, since in many cases hearing aids that are designed to restore high frequency sounds can be employed. In other situations, cochlear implants may be surgically added in order to provide a more permanent, long-term solution.

It is often difficult to tell the difference between high frequency hearing loss and mild to normal hearing loss. Especially with all of the background noise inherent in modern life, the only discernible symptom may be a slight problem with understanding words; at times, conversations may become a series of mumbles to the hearing-impaired listener and they may simply chalk it up to crosstalk or competing sounds.

The key distinction will be distortion of any kind. Music is an especially good indicator; victims of many types of hearing loss find that they cannot enjoy music as they formerly did because the sounds of many instruments have become warped.

Conductive hearing loss is an easier problem than its counterpart, sensorineural hearing loss.

Often with sensorineural hearing loss the problem is genetic or internal and must be corrected with methods as serious as surgery, but sometimes hearing aids are the only option.

With conductive hearing loss, the damage has already been done, but if it is a blockage (which is commonly is) removing that obstacle is fairly simple.

External forces have harmed the conductive tissue of the ear or blocked it, and this tissue is responsible for transmitting sound waves to the tympanum. If the mutilation or obstruction is too severe there is simply no way to repair it, but treatment options abound.

Can conductive hearing loss be cured?

The answer lies in what the source of damage is and how extreme the problem has become.

Upwards of 70% of conductive hearing loss occurs in young children. They contract ear infections frequently; curing their conductive hearing loss may be as simple as preventing it by never allowing an ear infection to go untreated.

Once in the hearing loss stage, however, antibiotics and other drugs may be used to treat and sometimes fully cure the hearing loss. This type of antibiotic treatment sometimes cures issues as severe as a ruptured membrane, so be sure to discuss every option with your doctor.

Many types of conductive hearing loss can be cured. But the question that remains to be asked is can conductive hearing loss be cured completely like this?

Too often, the answer is no, but never give up hope until several medical experts have been consulted. Each individual case varies so greatly from the next. If there are too many or too few bones in the ear, or if one of these bones becomes damaged, surgery is largely successful in taking care of the problem.

After all of these options have been explored, the final and best choice may simply be to use hearing aids. There is no one definitive cure-all for every type of hearing loss.

Researchers constantly experiment with treatments that have worked in the past, hoping to develop just such a universal cure, but until that day arrives the blessing of modern technology has provided hearing loss victims with a way to restore some or all of their hearing ability.

Hearing aids are a proven technique. It may well be a question of can conductive hearing loss can be cured in another way as recommended by your doctor, so much the better. If not, hearing aids are there for you to fall back on as a trusted, relatively inexpensive alternative.

It’s the natural wear and tear the eardrum goes through as we get older. This is why like it or not, in a few decades you may be asking people to repeat themselves—hearing loss typically begins in our 40’s and reaches its worst stage in our 80’s, when it affects 50% of the population.

But is it fair to have to wear hearing aids before then? Other than old age, some causes of hearing impairment are as follows.

Hearing loss basically falls into two categories: conductive and sensorineural.

Conductive hearing loss is when the tissues of your ear have been damaged and can no longer conduct sound waves the way they should.

This type of hearing loss is most commonly caused by intense exposure to loud noise, a major obstruction of the ear passage (which can usually be corrected by surgery), inflammation of the ear tissues brought on by extreme ear infection, or a ruptured ear drum. It can also result from cerumen, or an extreme buildup of earwax that requires removal by a doctor.

Sensorineural hearing loss, on the other hand, is not due to external causes. It is most often caused by something inside the body behaving wrong, such as a cranial nerve connected to the ear, parts of the brain that control the ear malfunctioning, or internal issues with the inner ear.

This may be congenital (acquired genetically at birth) or acquired from outside influences. This can occur not only from long term noise exposure but also incorrect dosages of medications. Viagra, certain diuretics, macrolide antibiotics, and heavy abuse of narcotics like Vicodin and OxyContin have been identified as causes of hearing impairment.

Of course, physical trauma can be responsible, but several common diseases are also related. They are mostly degenerative: measles, mumps, and meningitis; STDS like syphilis, Chlamydia, HIV/AIDS, autoimmune disease, adenoids, fetal alcohol syndrome and premature birth.

While various treatments and cures are in development for sudden hearing loss and related problems, so far the only completely corrective measure comes in the form of hearing aids or cochlear implants.

So, it is always vitally important to know about the symptoms and causes of hearing impairment in order to take preventative measures or to catch them at an early stage.

This type of hearing loss is also referred to as nerve deafness. Nerve deafness is somewhat appropriate for this medical problem but not entirely the cause.

Those over 65 years of age account for twenty-three percent of those affected by Sensorineural hearing loss causes in America.

Sensorineural hearing loss causes are due to some sort of damage to the auditory nerve or the cochlear nerve. The cochlear nerve is responsible for getting sound to the brain.

Sensorineural is most commonly used when talking about a lesion in the eighth nerves or the cochlear area of the ear. Diagnosing this pattern of hearing loss can only be found through the use of the audiometer. This differentiates between the amount of air conduction and bone conduction.

Individuals who have defects in the cochlear region cannot pass OAE testing. Individuals with eighth nerve (auditory) deficiency cannot pass BAER testing.

The most common Sensorineural hearing loss causes are a result of old age, ototoxic medication use (large doses of aspirin and diuretics), Menieres disease, exposure to loud noises, immune disorders, and inner ear trauma. Tumors are a rare occurrence in this type of hearing loss but metastatic cancer, such as those found in the breast, can be one of the Sensorineural hearing loss causes.

Use of high amounts of aspirin or anti-inflammatory drugs can be linked also. Diabetic individuals experience gradual Sensorineural hearing loss whereas others will have it come on suddenly. This is worsened by the ear infections diabetics suffer from. Because it is an autoimmune disorder, the autoimmune drugs play a factor in how quickly the hearing goes. Getting control of diabetes seems to be the best way to slow this loss of hearing.

Sensorineural hearing loss causes due to noise is a result of damage to the cochlear. One-fourth of the work force in America is exposed, on a regular basis, to noise that can be potentially damaging to their ears. For this reason, the government has set forth standards to regulate the allowable amount of noise one should be exposed to. Workers in or around 1960 were exposed to higher noise levels because of having no laws in place to mandate hearing protection.

Sensorineural hearing loss causes are mainly general in nature but, in some cases, with proper ear protection and keeping noise to a bearable level, the amount of hearing

Sound waves are received by mechanisms present in the external, middle and inner ear structures.

These areas are controlled by a part of the brain known as the auditory cortex.

It is essential that both of them work in tandem with each other in order to perceive sound.

If any of these structures are damaged the end result is hearing loss.

Causes of deafness are typically broken down into two categories.

Conductive and Sensori-neural

Occasionally there is a mixed pathology present both in the conductive areas of the ear or the perception areas of the brain.

Sound is measured by its intensity which is represented by the unit – decibel (db).

Deafness is classified by the minimum amount of sound that is required for the perception of sound.

Following is a categorization of deafness as it relates to the degrees of hearing loss.

• Normal Hearing (-10 to 15 db): for all practical purposes, this is the normal level of hearing. A person can hear sound that is so low in intensity.
• Slight deafness (16 to 25 db): person can hear almost all sound except whispers produced at a distance of 5 meters.
• Mild deafness (26 to 40 db): person cannot hear normal conversations and words spoken in a soft voice. The person may have a difficult time in noisier environments.
• Moderate deafness (41 to 55db): person has problems with perception of normal conversational sounds. It is more prominent at a noisy environment. Often times the person will increase the volume of television and music player in order to hear it.
• Moderately severe (56 to 70db): perception of speech is considerably reduced. The person cannot hear normal conversation. The pitch has to be loud enough to be understood. There is great difficulty in group discussion.
• Severe (71 to 90 db): patient cannot understand any speech during normal conversation. Only speech produced in louder pitches will be audible.
• Profound deafness (91+ db): this is a complete loss of hearing. Sounds produced even with an amplifier are also inaudible.

The degrees of hearing loss play a key role for an otolaryngologist (ENT specialist) in determining the proper treatment.

While it is extremely rare for anyone to suffer from sudden hearing loss, it is more likely to occur as an adult.

There are several explanations for sudden hearing loss during adulthood.

One of the most common reasons for sudden hearing loss as an adult is one of several diseases.

There is actually a very long list of diseases that are suspected to cause hearing loss.

Among these are meningitis, syphilis, and oddly enough, leukemia. The highest concentration of cases of sudden hearing loss as an adult is 46-49 years old. The average incidence rate is 20 cases per 100,000 people.

Many theories are currently being formulated by scientists about the exact cause of hearing loss as adults. One of the main theories is a recent upper respiratory infection.

Nearly 60% of people suffering from a case of hearing loss that comes on suddenly report symptoms of an upper respiratory infection within the 4 weeks preceding their hearing loss. This cause could point to a specific type of infection that affects the body’s ability to hear. There has been no definitive link to this cause as of yet.

Sudden hearing loss as an adult is nearly unheard of. However, the number of cases reported each year is rising.

If you begin to lose your hearing, go to a doctor immediately for diagnosis and treatment.

Some cases of sudden hearing loss as an adult are permanent, however, some are temporary and the sooner you seek treatment, the higher your rate of success for regaining your hearing.

However, there are several causes for children to lose their hearing, whether temporarily or permanently.

These include Otitis media, congenital causes, and acquired causes.

Understanding each of these conditions will help you to narrow down the causes of your child’s hearing impairment.

• Otitis media is the inflammation of the middle part of your ear. It occurs due to fluid, which builds up behind the eardrum. These types of ear problems occur in nearly seventy five percent of children. The types of problems with Otitis media can run the entire spectrum.

  You may encounter small problems with your child’s hearing or you may have a very severe infection that requires treatment with antibiotics. Otitis media causes hearing loss because the fluid build up hinders the ear’s ability to have sound vibrate through the eardrum.

 

• Congenital hearing problems are quite difficult to track down. While congenital hearing impairment occurs in more than half the cases of children with a hearing impairment, there are several ways genetics can play a role.

  Autosomal dominant hearing loss occurs when one parent carries the dominant gene for hearing loss and passes it along to the child. It is more likely to happen if there is a male history of hearing loss in the family. X-linked hearing loss is another type of hearing loss that is linked directly with mothers passing it onto their sons but not daughters. There is also recessive hearing loss, which does not favor either gender.

 

• Acquired causes are usually caused by disease or poor decisions. Everything from meningitis to chicken pox can cause hearing loss. Head injury and noise exposure pose a significant threat to increase the risk for children with hearing impairment.

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Everything sounds muffled in one ear.

What might be the cause?

Let’s find out.

Unexplained hearing loss can be very troubling. The following is a list of possible causes for a sudden or progressive onset of muffled hearing in one ear.

• Ear Obstruction:
  The most common cause of muffled hearing in one ear is obstruction of the ear canal by a wax plug. There are special types of glands called sebaceous glands present in the skin of the ear canal. They produce a waxy substance called sebum. By not cleaning your ears properly, your ear can get impacted causing partial or complete obstruction of the ear canal.

  The symptom gets worse if you have taken a shower before going to bed the previous night and some water slipped into your ear. Water will help the sebum to swell up aggravating the muffled hearing. It may or may not be associated with pain.

 

• Pressure Changes:
  You may also notice muffled hearing in one year while flying. When the airplane takes off, there is sudden reduction in the pressure in the outer atmosphere. As a countermeasure, the pilot increases the pressure of the cabin. This may push the tympanic membrane inward causing hearing difficulty. Generally it is seen in both the ears, but can occur in one ear as well.

 

• Infection:
  Infection in the external ear and in the middle ear cavity always leads to muffled hearing in one ear. In case of infection of the external ear (otitis externa), there is inflammation of the ear canal. As there is swelling of the external ear skin, it results in reduced hearing. The infection of the middle ear cavity can lead to inflammation of small bones of the middle ear (maleus, incus and stapes).

  If there is any defective or reduced action of these three bones, sound waves will not be transmitted to the inner ear and through it to the brain. Therefore, infection in middle ear can also lead to muffled hearing in one ear.

 

• Trauma:
  In the case of children, muffled hearing in one ear may be a symptom of what is called glue ear or serous otitis media (accumulation of fluid in the middle ear cavity). This occurs when a sudden traumatic event occurs to a child’s ear. This can be seen in children who are abused and have recently had trauma to the ear usually by a slap to the ear. Glue ear is one of the common causes of impaired hearing in children.

 
Whatever the cause may be, make sure to have it checked out by a medical doctor if the symptom persists.

Can you imagine a world without hearing the beautiful sounds of a singing bird?

Or the waves splashing down on the beach?

Hearing loss is a serious problem and it may impair your life tremendously. Reasons for hearing loss are many and understanding them will help you to figure out which conditions may afflict you.

There are mainly two types of hearing loss:

Conductive and Sensori-neural.

The former is due to obstruction in the conduction of sound waves. Sensori-neural deafness occurs due to problems in the inner ear.

Common Hearing Loss Reasons:

• Continuous exposure to loud noise. This may be due to firecrackers, sound of airplanes taking off, gunshots or even from working in factories. A single explosion can cause a rupture in the tympanic membrane leading to instant hearing loss.

• Presence of wax in the ear canal. Although the degree of deafness is less, this is the most common cause of hearing loss.

• If a pregnant mother suffers from some infectious diseases like rubella, mumps or influenza while carrying her child, there is chance of hearing loss in the child.

• Some diseases can lead to hearing loss. The common cold is the most frequent disease. It can block the Eustachian tube that connects the nasopharynx to the inner ear leading to hearing loss. Infection with Cytomegalovirus, viral or bacterial meningitis can also lead to damage to the part of brain that controls our hearing. It can also be a reason of hearing loss. Infection of either the external, middle or inner ear cavity will likely lead to some degree of hearing loss.

• Genetic diseases like Klinefelter syndrome can be a cause of deafness.

• Senile deafness – as we grow older, the functioning of the middle ear bones becomes weak. The cochlear fluid also tends to become dry which leads to hearing loss. This condition is called presbycusis or old ear.

• The most frequent cause of hearing loss in children is ‘Glue ear’ or ‘serous otitis media’. Here fluid accumulation occurs in the middle ear cavity after a traumitic event to the ear.

Now that you have a better understanding of the reasons for hearing loss, please consult a doctor for evaluation and treatment.