Hearing Loss and Its Causes

Hearing loss affects more than 20 million Americans of all ages.

Although hearing problems may occur throughout one's life span, it is ten times more common in people over the age of 60. Because hearing loss can develop over several years, many people are not aware of the extent of their loss until family and friends bring it to their attention. Even then the problem is often ignored or explained with excuses such as ... "people mumble".

It is important to remember that although hearing loss is gradual and usually painless, it is a health problem that may be an indication of a serious medical condition. That is why the logical and intelligent solution to a hearing problem begins with a visit to an Audiologist or Ear, Nose, and Throat Physician.

Isn't your hearing too important to trust to just anyone?

How Do We Hear?

Sound waves are collected by the ear and channeled along  the external ear canal to the eardrum. Sound waves vibrate the eardrum, the impact sets the three tiny bones in the middle ear into motion This force makes the fluid in the inner ear circulate through it's delicate snail shaped structure called the cochlea. In the cochlea, thousands of microscopic hair cells are bent by the wave-like action of the fluid movement. The hair cells are finely tuned almost like the keys of a piano to respond to particular frequencies of sound.

The bending of these hairs sets off nerve impulses which are then passed through the auditory nerve into the central nervous system and finally to the hearing center in the brain. The hearing center located in the temporal lobe of the brain translate these nerve impulses into recognizable sounds.

At any age, hearing can be damaged gradually or suddenly by: allergies, drugs or medication, exposure to loud noise, heredity, illness or birth defects, middle ear infections, the natural aging process, head trauma, tumors and yes even something as simple as too much ear wax.

Any of these conditions may cause either a conductive hearing loss, which is due to a blockage of sound through the outer or middle ear, or a sensorineural loss, which occurs in the inner ear or the hearing nerve. It is also possible to have a mixed type loss which involves both the middle and inner ears.

It is important to remember that while hearing loss may be common and painless it can be an early warning sign of a more serious medical condition. Likewise, just like a fingerprint, no two people have exactly the same hearing loss.