Understanding the Types and Causes of Hearing Loss

Hearing loss is the third most common problem, affecting more than 36 million people in the country. The loss of hearing has a significant effect on the quality of life. Every individual needs to understand the types of hearing problem and the basic reasons that lead to the problem. The blog discusses the causes of the problem, its types, and possible treatment audiologist in Houston, TX or any other area recommends:

Causes of Hearing Loss

Physical Condition

Age, genetics, and illness are certain conditions that may lead to hearing loss. Advanced age is a another common cause of the problem. One out of three individuals aged 65-74 have some type of hearing loss, and the ratio increases with the age group.

Noisy Environment

Loud noise and lots of medications are two common reasons of hearing loss. Continuous exposure to loud noise affects the hearing ability of an individual. Those working at noisy workplaces or involved in noisy lines of work such as mining, transportation, and military are more prone to suffer from the problem.

Medications

There are more than 200 medicines and chemicals with the record of triggering hearing side effects. Some of the medications include loop diuretics (drug to treat malaria), chemotherapy drugs, several erectile dysfunction treatment drugs, and aspirin.

Types of Hearing Loss

Conductive Hearing Loss

Problems in the ear drum, middle ear, ear canal, and little bones cause hearing loss.

Causes: Malformation of the ear canal, outer ear, or middle ear structure, fluid in middle ear because of cold, ear infection, allergy, poor eustachian tube function, benign tumor, perforated eardrum, impacted earwax, infection in the ear canal, and otosclerosis.

Sensorineural Hearing Loss

Problems in the inner ear cause sensorineural hearing loss. Sensorineural hearing loss is also known as the nerve-related hearing loss.

Causes: Head trauma, exposure to loud noise, virus or disease, hereditary hearing loss, autoimmune inner ear disease, aging, Meniere's disease, tumor, otosclerosis, and malformation of the inner ear.

Mixed Hearing Loss

It is a combination of conductive and sensorineural hearing loss. There is a possibility of damage either in the outer or middle ear and inner ear or auditory nerve.

Causes: Mixed hearing loss could be because of any of the above-mentioned reasons behind hearing loss.

Last Few Words

Seeking the consultation of an audiologist is advisable upon noticing hearing problem. There are certain medications and devices available to bring relief to the patient, improve the lifestyle, and treat the problem.

Everything you Need to Know About Tinnitus

Tinnitus is the ringing, clicking, buzzing or any other type of the noise in the ears or head, which originates from no external source. It is not an illness but a symptom of any other condition such as ear trauma, infection, hearing loss, anemia, overactive thyroid, Meniere's disease, and several other problems. The blog discusses more about the disease, symptoms, and treatment an audiologist in Houston, TX or any other state would prescribe:

Symptoms of Tinnitus

Tinnitus is not a severe problem in many cases, but it could be extremely disturbing for the patient. A person suffering from Tinnitus hears a buzzing or ringing noise. The sound sometimes is accompanied by dizziness and hearing loss, also known as Meniere's disease.

Diagnosis of Tinnitus

During the initial medical evaluation, the doctor asks for the complete history of the patient and performs a physical examination of head and neck. A hearing test, also known as audiogram, is performed to detect the problem. The doctor also checks the blood pressure and prescribes some blood tests to evaluate the functioning of thyroid gland. The doctor performs a spinal tap, in a rare case, to check the fluid pressure in the skull and spinal cord.

When to Seek Medical Care?

Tinnitus is usually a symptom of a hidden medical problem and an individual needs to see the doctor if the problem begins all of a sudden. There's no treatment for tinnitus, but the doctor treats the underlying condition that is causing the problem. If, for instance, the patient has an ear infection that is causing tinnitus, the doctor prescribes antibiotics to treat both the conditions. The treatment of tinnitus depends on its cause. The doctor might recommend medications, lifestyle changes, biofeedback and stress management techniques to the patient.

Other things to take care of

There's no one treatment for tinnitus unless the doctor finds out the underlying cause of the problem and treats it. Patients may adopt certain measures, change their lifestyle, and practice therapies to reduce the disturbing impact of tinnitus. A few things to take care of include:

• If tinnitus bothers an individual when trying to sleep, the sound of radio, white noise machine or a fan might bring relief
• Symptoms of tinnitus might get worse when an individual is under stress. It is advisable to look for some stress relaxation techniques
• Avoid caffeine as this alleviates the problem
• Avoid intake of aspirin products in large quantity

It is important that the patient follows up with the doctor for further tests and evaluation of tinnitus. If the tinnitus is not because of any other illness, the patient needs to take the medication and undergo therapy recommended by the doctor.