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Type↕ | Affected Area↕ | Primary Cause↕ | Reversible↕ | Treatment↕ | Known For↕ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sensorineural Hearing Loss (SNHL) | Inner ear (cochlea/hair cells) or auditory nerve | Aging, noise, genetics, ototoxic drugs | Usually no | Hearing aids, cochlear implants | Most common type of permanent hearing loss, accounts for ~90% of cases in adults |
Conductive Hearing Loss | Outer or middle ear | Ear wax, infection, otosclerosis, perforation | Often yes | Medical or surgical | Blockage or mechanical problem, often fixable, sounds muffled rather than distorted |
Mixed Hearing Loss | Both outer/middle and inner ear | Combination of conductive and sensorineural causes | Partial | Combination of medical treatment and amplification | Requires addressing both components, common in chronic ear disease |
Presbycusis (age-related) | Cochlea (outer hair cells first) | Cumulative aging of auditory system | No | Hearing aids | Most common form of hearing loss in older adults, ~1 in 3 over 65 affected |
Noise-Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL) | Cochlea (4 kHz region first) | Exposure to loud noise over 85 dB | No (permanent damage to hair cells) | Prevention, hearing aids | Classic 4 kHz notch on audiogram, preventable with ear protection, affects musicians and industrial workers |
Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss (SSHL) | Inner ear | Often idiopathic, viral, vascular | Sometimes if treated quickly | Oral or intratympanic steroids | Medical emergency, sudden unilateral loss, treatment within 72 hours improves outcomes |
Auditory Neuropathy Spectrum Disorder | Auditory nerve or inner hair cell synapse | Genetic, prematurity, jaundice | No | Hearing aids, cochlear implants, ASL | Sounds are heard but not processed normally, speech sounds distorted, normal OAEs but abnormal ABR |
Otosclerosis | Stapes bone in middle ear | Abnormal bone growth, often hereditary | Yes, surgically | Stapedectomy surgery, hearing aids | Classic cause of conductive loss in young adults, more common in women, can progress during pregnancy |
Meniere's Disease | Inner ear (fluid imbalance) | Endolymphatic hydrops | Fluctuates | Low-salt diet, diuretics, injections, surgery | Classic triad of hearing loss, vertigo, and tinnitus, episodic and progressive |
Acoustic Neuroma | Vestibulocochlear nerve (tumor) | Benign schwannoma | Partial with treatment | Observation, radiation, microsurgery | Unilateral hearing loss with tinnitus, rare but important to rule out with MRI |
Ototoxic Hearing Loss | Cochlear hair cells | Drugs: aminoglycosides, cisplatin, high-dose aspirin | Sometimes reversible, often not | Discontinue drug if possible, hearing aids | Drug-induced, chemotherapy drug cisplatin is major offender in cancer patients |
Congenital Hearing Loss | Various (cochlea most common) | Genetic, prenatal infection, birth complications | No | Hearing aids, cochlear implants, early intervention | Detected via universal newborn screening, early intervention critical for speech development |
Central Auditory Processing Disorder | Central auditory pathways and brain | Developmental, head injury, neurological disease | No (managed) | Auditory training, FM systems, environmental modifications | Normal hearing thresholds but difficulty understanding speech, especially in noise, often confused with ADHD |
Unilateral Hearing Loss | One ear only | Various (mumps, trauma, acoustic neuroma) | Rarely | CROS hearing aid, bone-anchored hearing aid | Difficulty localizing sound and hearing in noise, often undiagnosed in children |
Tinnitus-Associated Hearing Loss | Cochlear hair cells and auditory cortex | Noise damage, aging, often with NIHL | No | Sound therapy, CBT, hearing aids | Ringing or buzzing perceived without external sound, affects ~15% of adults, no cure but manageable |
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