Types of Hearing Loss - Sensorineural Hearing loss
Sensorineural hearing loss occurs when there is damage to the inner ear nerves or to the nerve pathways from the inner ear to the brain. Sensorineural hearing loss can not be medically or surgically corrected. It is a permanent hearing loss.
Sensorineural hearing loss not only involves a reduction in sound level, or ability to hear faint sounds, but also affects speech understanding, or ability to hear clearly. There can be great difficulty understanding conversation in the presence of background noise. The aging process is the most common cause of sensorineural hearing loss. As we get older, the inner ear nerves and sensory cells progressively die. At Paradise Hearing & Balance Clinics Inc, the comprehensive exam will determine the extent of sound level reduction and the ability to understand speech clearly.
In addition to advancing age, sensorineural hearing loss can be caused by:
- Injury
- Excessive noise exposure (high volume and/or prolonged exposure
- Viral infections (such as measles or mumps)
- Ototoxic drugs (medications that damage hearing)
- Meningitis
- Diabetes
- Stroke
- High fever
- Ménière's disease
- Acoustic tumors
- Heredity
Sensorineural hearing loss is the most common type of hearing loss among adults (occurs in 80 percent of adult cases). Most sensorineural hearing loss can be successfully treated with hearing aids.
