Hearing Loss And Nerve Damage

Hearing impairment results from damage in any of the three chambers of the ear and/or their auditory structures. The components of the ear include the external, middle, and inner ear chambers. Inside these chambers lie structures that enable us to hear by receiving and sending sound waves, vibrations, and electrical impulses to the brain where they are interpreted into sounds. Hearing loss occurs when these structures sustain nerve damage through illness, trauma, or infections.

Four Types Of Hearing Loss:

• Conductive - sound is not being transmitted to the inner ear.


• Sensorineural - Due to a cochlear or an eighth nerve lesion


• Mixed - A combination of conductive and sensorineural


• Central - pure-tone hearing is preserved but impaired speech comprehension is damaged, is rare and usually due to brain damage

Many times hearing loss is misdiagnosed as depression, dementia, or Alzheimer's disease. There can be many reasons why a person exhibits these disorders, when the real cause is loss of hearing. This misdiagnosis usually occurs in the elderly.

Cochlear (auditory) Nerve

Nerve Damage:

Involves the vestibulocochlear or the 8th nerve as the result of illness.

Symptoms of Nerve (neural) Damage:

1. Problems with hearing


2. Inability to understand speech


3. Decreased ability to hear louder tones

Causes: In childrenMumps Rubella Meningitis Multiple sclerosis

In Adults:Aging Tumors Viral infections such as the flu or herpes

Diagnosis And Treatment:

It is diagnosed by ruling out other causes of hearing loss. Medical examination and diagnostic testing using sound producing devices, such as a tuning fork, helps to determine the type of hearing loss and the extent of damage.

Treatment is prescribed using various methods that include surgery if the hearing loss is due to a tumor. If infection is the cause, then antibiotics can be prescribed. If the damage is so severe that it can not be reversed, hearing aids may help to improve the deficit.

Prevention:

Some types of hearing loss can be prevented with early diagnosis and treatment. If you have an ear infection, a prompt visit to your health care professional will avoid extensive damage to the neural nerve, and helps to prevent the damage from spreading to other parts of the auditory system. If you are pregnant it is important to avoid exposure to any infectious disease. Even if not pregnant, staying away from people who are sick is a good idea.

The Inner Ear:

The inner ear contains a structure called the cochlea. Inside the cochlea are tiny hair cells that send mechanical energy to the cochlear nerve, which sends information to the brain. The hair cells are very crucial to sound conduction. They are destroyed as we age, which explains why the elderly population has a high incidence of heard of hearing problems. Once lost they do not regenerate and can not be replaced. It is important to note that hearing deficits can happen at any age at any time. It is not just a condition of the elderly.

by Barb Hicks, RN/LMT