Hearing Loss

Why is healthy hearing important?

About 36 million people in the United States are estimated to have hearing loss. Although it is often associated with aging, it is also clearly present in people of all ages, from newborns to adults. Healthy human ears can perceive an enormous range of sounds in terms of pitch and loudness. Hearing is the primary sense through which we learn speech and language. The ability to hear clearly from birth is extremely important with regard to normal development of speech and language skills, auditory processing skills, a sense of self, as well as normal emotional and psychological well-being and more.

Call 704-295-3300 to Schedule a Hearing Test

You may have hearing loss if:

• You find it difficult to follow a conversation in a noisy restaurant or crowded room.
• You sometimes feel that people are mumbling.
• You find it difficult to understand a speaker at a public meeting or religious service.
• You find yourself asking people to repeat themselves or to speak up.
• You have difficulty understanding soft or whispered speech.
• You have difficulty understanding speech on the telephone.
• A hearing problem causes you to feel embarrassed in social situations.
• You visit friends less often than you would like.
• You experience ringing or noises in your ears.
• You hear better out of one ear than the other.
• You have a history of noise exposure in the workplace, recreation or military service.
• Any of your birth relatives have hearing loss.

Common Causes

As we age, our ears are exposed to a lifetime of noises such as lawnmowers, telephones, industrial machinery, leaf blowers, chain saws, industrial noise, hair dryers, weapons, and recorded and live music. Many of these sounds occur at loud and potentially injurious levels. Although some people are born with hearing loss, most acquire it later in life. Causes include a genetic predisposition, ear disease, noise exposure (including music, industrial, military and more), ototoxic medicines, head trauma, and others.

Types of hearing loss

There are three primary categories: sensorineural, conductive, and mixed.

The first category is the most common, called “sensorineural.” This occurs when tiny hair cells within the inner ear (the cochlea) are damaged. Sensorineural loss is permanent and in most cases there are no medical or surgical treatment options. Hearing aids are the primary treatment for sensorineural loss. In some situations, such as when hearing aids have not been beneficial for particular patients with severe and profound sensorineural loss, cochlear implants may be useful.

The most common sensorineural loss is high-frequency, typically associated with aging or noise exposure, and often both. High-frequency loss may be difficult for patients to “self-diagnose” because it occurs slowly over decades. Persons with high-frequency sensorineural hearing loss often note they can hear, but they cannot hear clearly. The primary way to fix this is with hearing aids.

The second most common type is referred to as “conductive.” Most often, this results from a blockage of the normal air conduction sound pathways. Conductive hearing loss may be due to ear wax (cerumen) blocking the ear canal or perhaps a foreign object lodged in the ear canal. Another example of a conductive loss is when fluid occupies the middle ear space, as might occur with common ear infections (otitis media).

The third most common type is “mixed." As its name implies, it involves both sensorineural and conductive hearing loss components.

Degrees of Hearing Loss

Audiologists use general terms (normal, mild, moderate, severe, and profound) to characterize the degree of loss. It is measured in decibels (dBs) and the general categories refer to an average of the decibel level of loss present.

In general, people with normal hearing (up to 25 dB loss for adults, up to 15 dB for children) can hear most speech sounds in quiet and comfortable listening situations.

Adults with mild loss (between 26 and 40 dB) may hear reasonably well in one-on-one conversation, but will miss words and speech sounds when speech is quiet or when there is background noise present.

Adults with moderate loss (between 41 and 70 dB) miss a lot of speech sounds and telephone conversation. They often ask for people to repeat what they said.

Adults with severe hearng loss (between 71 and 90 dB) need hearing aids to perceive speech sounds almost all of the time. People with severe loss will miss the vast majority of conversational speech and using telephones will be very difficult.

Adults with profound loss (91 dB or more) cannot hear speech sounds even if they are very loud. People with profound loss need hearing aids or cochlear implants to perceive speech sounds.

The impact

• Depression & Anxiety: Untreated hearing loss often leads to depression and anxiety. Patients with severe loss who do not wear hearing devices are 27% more likely to experience feelings of depression and anxiety compared to those who do wear hearing devices.
• Cognition & Brain Health: Studies show a strong link between untreated loss and a decline in cognitive ability. This increases the risk of dementia, especially in the aging population.
• Social Withdrawal: Individuals with untreated loss frequently experience social withdrawal and isolation, which are well-established risk factors for depression and cognitive decline.

Hearing tests in Charlotte, NC

CEENTA has audiologists in locations across North and South Carolina who can provide hearing tests using the most up-to-date technology in comfortable environments.

Call 704-295-3300 to Schedule a Hearing Test

Information taken from the American Academy of Audiology. Copyright 2011. All Rights Reserved.