Discover what the causes of hearing impairment are.

One of the most common causes of hearing loss, which we all eventually succumb to, is noise exposure.

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.