Understanding the Different Types of Hearing Loss Hearing loss in various degrees affects millions of Americans. The severity of the hearing loss may vary as well as the causation for the hearing loss, but with so many individuals affected by hearing loss, it is important to understand the different types of hearing loss, their causations, and what can be done to prevent them from happening. Hearing loss can be attributed to a wide array and large number of causations, but most conditions of hearing loss can be categorized into one of four different areas of hearing loss. Each category is encompassing a range of issues concerning hearing loss, but there classifications can help a person to better understand what their hearing loss is derived from and what can be done to prevent further hearing loss.
Sensorineural Hearing Loss The first common category of hearing loss is labeled sensorineural hearing loss, or sometimes referred to as nerve deafness. Sensorineural hearing loss, or nerve deafness, is the form of hearing loss that occurs when there are issues that arise with the inner ear and the nerve connection between the ear drum and the brain. This nerve and the workings of the inner ear itself have a tendency to where down over time, just like other organs and parts of the body, and is why older people generally struggle with hearing loss. Other possible causes for sensorineural hearing loss include the presence of diseases in the inner ear, repetitive exposure to loud noises, hereditary hearing loss, tumors, or some forms of viruses.
Conductive Hearing Loss The next category or type of hearing loss is called conductive hearing loss and, being the exact opposite of sensorineural hearing loss, is caused by issues concerning the middle ear or outer ear. Such issues with the middle or outer ear that can affect hearing include the malformation of the outer ear, infections in the middle ear, tumor formations in the middle or outer ear, and even the blocking of the ear canal with earwax or foreign bodies. The third and final category of hearing loss is intuitively labeled mixed hearing loss, or the loss of hearing due to a combination of seneorineural and conductive hearing loss. The combination of the two former categories forms this third category of mixed hearing loss and is indicative of issues involving both the inner and outer workings of the ear. All forms of hearing loss can be treated with the help of modern science, although there are many who prefer to venture through life with mild to medium hearing loss so as to save on the expense of such treatments. While these main categories of hearing loss can and do affect many millions of Americans,