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Do you have hearing loss? Maybe you’ve been missing a few too many sounds, or you can’t enjoy listening to music anymore. Hearing loss makes it very difficult to hear what’s happening around you. You may struggle to follow conversations, or determine where a sound is coming from. Hearing loss also makes it challenging to separate the sounds you want to hear from the distracting background sounds you want to ignore. To understand more about hearing loss, these are some of the causes of hearing loss.
Acquired Hearing Loss Vs. Congenital Hearing Loss
Hearing loss affects people of all ages. Children who are born with hearing loss have congenital hearing loss, or hearing loss that was present at birth. Congenital hearing loss can be inherited through genetics, or caused by a low birth weight, severe jaundice at birth, or an infection during pregnancy.
Acquired hearing loss, on the other hand, develops after birth. It’s usually the result of an injury, illness, or even a medication.
Common Causes of Acquired Hearing Loss in Children
Acquired hearing loss appears after birth. Children can develop hearing loss in a number of ways, including:
- Ear infections. An ear infection can damage the middle or inner ear, leading to hearing loss. Ear infections are more common in children than in adults. This is because children’s Eustachian tubes aren’t fully developed yet. These are the tubes that connect the middle ear to the back of the throat, regulating air pressure in the ear, and draining excess fluid.
- Ototoxic medications. Some medications are toxic to the ear and can cause hearing loss. For example, some of the antibiotics used to treat ear infections are ototoxic.
- Meningitis. This inflammation is often caused by a viral or bacterial infection. Meningitis can cause hearing loss.
- Measles. This contagious infectious disease is a viral infection that can lead to some serious side effects such as ear infections and hearing loss.
- Chicken pox. In rare cases, chicken pox can damage the ear and cause hearing loss and tinnitus.
- Head injury. A common cause of hearing loss is a head, neck, or ear injury. If a child has an injury, it’s important to test their hearing after the incident.
- Loud noises. Children’s ears are very sensitive to loud noises. They have a lower threshold for hearing loss than adults. Children can develop hearing loss from listening to loud music, attending concerts or sports events, or even watching fireworks at close range.
Common Causes of Hearing Loss in Adults
Adults also have a high risk of hearing loss, but the causes of hearing loss are a bit different. These are some of the causes of hearing loss among adults:
- Presbycusis: One in three adults over the age of 65 has a hearing loss. This age-related hearing loss is extremely common. Over a lifetime of hearing, the cells in the ear naturally start to suffer from some wear and tear, leading to hearing loss or tinnitus.
- Noise-induced hearing loss: Another common cause of hearing loss is noise induced hearing loss. When you are exposed to extremely loud sounds, the cells in the inner ear are damaged.
- Otosclerosis. This disease affects the middle ear. The three tiny bones in the middle ear don’t move as easily as they used to, so the sounds that enter your ear canal never make it to your inner ear.
- Meniere’s disease. This is an inner ear disease that leads to dizziness, tinnitus, and hearing loss. Sensitivity to loud noises is another common symptom. Meniere’s disease is usually diagnosed in adults between 30 to 50 years of age.
- Acoustic neuroma. Benign tumors can form on the vestibular or cochlear nerves, causing hearing loss. You will need medical treatment to remove the tumor, and you may have permanent hearing loss.
- Head injury. A traumatic head or brain injury can lead to permanent hearing loss, either by damaging the outer or middle ear, or even damaging the cells in the inner ear.
These are just some of the causes of hearing loss in children and adults. If you or a loved one has hearing loss, visit us for a hearing test. Together we can find out more about your unique hearing loss, what caused your hearing loss, and what treatments are available.