Hearing Loss: Symptoms And Treatment
Hearing loss is ultimately defined as a hearing impairment, i.e., an inability to hear correctly or well. In this sense, the body must perform a series of different functions that ensure that a person’s hearing will function normally.
At the very first, the sound travels to the ear canal, collides with the eardrum and makes it vibrate. This vibration is transmitted to a chain of very small bones in the ear, which stimulates the cochlea, or mussel, in the inner ear.
Inside the mussel, there are cells that convert this vibrating information into energy. This energy is transmitted in the form of a nerve impulse through the auditory nerve to the cerebral cortex and from there the impulse is again transported to the cerebral cortex. Only when a nerve impulse travels to the cortex do we become aware of the existence of sound and can we understand what it means.
However, this process, in which sound always travels from the ear canal to the cortex, can fail and this in turn leads to hearing loss, i.e. hearing impairment. We next discuss the different types of hearing loss and how hearing loss can be treated according to its type.
Different types of hearing loss
Hearing loss can be divided into two different types: conductive hearing loss and sensorineural hearing loss. Hearing loss is conductive when the outer and middle ear (mainly the eardrums and small bones in the ear) are not intact. In sensorineural hearing loss, on the other hand, the mussel, auditory balance nerve, brainstem, or cortex can be damaged.
Symptoms of hearing loss
The onset of this disease is usually detected at a late stage. This is due to strategies developed by the body to replace hearing loss. The spectrum of hearing-related changes is often very wide.
The main symptom of hearing loss is, of course, as the name implies, hearing loss. In conductive hearing loss, generally low-intensity sounds are more difficult to detect, whereas in sensorineural hearing loss, it is difficult to distinguish between different sounds, even though it is possible to hear different intensities.
When hearing is impaired, up-tuned sounds are heard less well. Thus, for example, the lower-pitched voices of men are generally easier to distinguish than the higher-pitched voices of women. In addition, people with hearing loss have difficulty hearing properly when there is noise in the surrounding space. Because of this, certain sounds can be perceived even louder than they actually are.
Depending on the cause of the hearing loss, a person may experience some other symptoms. The most common of these symptoms are ear pain or a feeling of clogged ears if the cause is ear infection. If the balance organ in the ear is damaged, dizziness may also occur in humans.
Hearing loss without proper and effective treatment leads to communication difficulties. To define this phenomenon, we are talking about hearing loss due to normal and regular background noise, to which many of us do not even pay attention. This can have both psychological and mood-related consequences, such as depression, in the patient.
Treatment of hearing loss
In order to treat hearing loss, it is necessary to find out the cause. Through this, depending on the type of hearing loss, the patient is prescribed either one or more treatments.
Treatment of conductive hearing loss
If the conductive hearing loss is due to a wax plug that has accumulated in the ear canal, it is removed. If the cause is damage to the small bones in the ear, they can be repaired or even replaced with intact ones. If the problem is caused by an ear infection, the patient is prescribed antibiotics to treat the inflammation, and if there is fluid left in the ear as a result of a particular infection, it is emptied.
In cases where a hole or scar tissue has appeared in the damaged eardrum due to repeated infections, it can be repaired or even replaced with an intact eardrum.
In some cases, implantable hearing aids that improve the conduction of the ear bones can also be used to improve hearing. They capture the vibrations produced by sound in the air and transmit them to the inner ear. In this way, hearing loss due to a problem related to conductive disorders of the outer or middle ear can also be solved.
Treatment of sensorineural hearing loss
In these cases, the causes of hearing loss are usually incurable and therefore implantation of a prosthesis to improve sensorineural function is necessary. Therapeutic options include implantable and non-implantable prostheses.
Non-implantable prostheses are hearing aids. They change the sound in different ways and adapt to the individual needs of each patient. There are mainly two different types of implantable prostheses:
- Cochlear implants, or cochlear implants that replace the function of Cort’s organ.
- Brainstem hearing implants that directly stimulate this area without the sound having to first pass through the inner ear or auditory nerve.
Finally, it should be remembered that only a person skilled in the art can decide on the therapeutic option best suited to the individual needs of each patient.
