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Different Hearing Problems

Hearing problems affect people in different forms and degrees. Some can become a real inconvenience if the hearing is distorted, while in some cases a person's hearing may stop functioning altogether. Hearing problems can happen at any age and are cause for concern. If you find that your hearing is becoming impaired in any way, see a doctor as soon as possible.

  1. Conductive

    • Conductive hearing problems happen when there is something wrong with the middle or outer ear, but the inner ear works fine. This can decrease the amount of sound picked up by your ears. Wax buildup, holes in the eardrums, small or non-existent ear canals or physical problems in the middle ear can cause conductive hearing loss. Medication or surgery can usually fix this problem.

    Sensorineural

    • Sensorineural hearing problems are caused by trouble in the inner ear or issues with the brain sending signals to the auditory nerve. This will reduce sensitivity and clarity of sound. Although sound can reach the inner ear, it cannot be picked up clearly by the brain, even with a hearing aid. The causes can be genetic, physical abnormalities in the ear, noise damage, some drugs, head injuries, long lasting high fevers, meningitis, mumps or measles. There are still no ways to treat this problem.

    Unilateral and Bilateral

    • Unilateral hearing problems happen in one ear, while bilateral happen in both ears. While those with bilateral hearing problems have real trouble hearing, people with unilateral issues can usually understand regular conversation and surrounding sounds. The biggest problem they have is knowing where a specific sound is coming from. Bilateral hearing loss essentially causes the same problems, only to a higher degree.

    Mixed

    • Mixed hearing problems are a combination of symptoms from conductive and sensorineural hearing loss. Basically, this means the outer or middle ear are affected, along with the inner ear or auditory nerve. While the conductive part can be treated with surgery or drugs, the sensorineural problem has no form of treatment.

    Central

    • Central hearing loss occurs when the brain cannot properly pick up sound signals from the ear. This tends to happen when the auditory nerve or the pathways to it are damaged. Brain tumors, damage to the brain stem, damaged tissue on the right side of the brain or head injury can all cause central hearing loss. Symptoms include word deafness, which is the ability to speak and hear words, but not understand them; auditory hallucinations, such as hearing sounds that are not there; being unable to hear non-word sounds, such as a phone or music; and sudden hearing loss.

      Medication or surgery cannot treat this problem; Instead, treatment focuses on preventing it from getting worse.

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