Hearing loss takes place with growing age and starts basically after the early 50s. It is broadly categories into three types;
Conductive- it affects outer or middle ear.
Sensorinerual- takes place at inner ear.
Mixed – involves outer, middle and inner ear.
It does not take place suddenly. It is in itself a gradual process that is accompanied by several signs and symptoms. Some of the major ones are listed below.
Muffling of sounds
Not hearing the sound clearly
Raising the volume of Tv or radio above the normal level.
Difficulty in distinguishing the sounds properly
Problem in understanding the words majorly against background noise
If you come across any of the above symptoms, contact your doctor as soon as possible.
Yes, hearing loss takes place as you get older but apart from that there are other reasons as well;
Harm to the inner ear
Loud noise damage the hairs on nerve cells present in cochlea that transmit the sound signals to the brain. If these hairs are damaged electrical signals are not transferred properly that further becomes a reason for hearing-loss.
Earwax
Gradual building of earwax is another major cause of hearing loss. Earwax blocks the ear canal and prohibits the conduction of sound waves. Removal of earwax restores hearing.
Infectons
Ear infections and other abnormalities like bone-growth and tumors cause hearing loss. Basically, such abnormalities occur in the outer or middle ear.
Also known as tympanic membrane perforation, this ear problem is caused due to sudden change in pressure, infection or poking your ear drum with a sharp object.
Other illness
Cochlea is damaged by high fever and flues too.
Heredity
Genetic reasons make you more vulnerable towards hearing loss, especially with aging.
Medications and drugs
Drugs like Viagra, antibiotic gentamicin etc can also damage your hearing. Medications taken during chemotherapy many a times affect inner ear.
