This type of hearing loss is the result of a disorder affecting the outer or middle
ear, such as ear infections associated with fluid in the middle ear space. Middle
ear infections are the second-most common reason children visit a doctor. Generally,
when children have middle ear infections with fluid in their ears, they have an
accompanying hearing loss. Other common causes of conductive hearing loss include
excess wax, foreign bodies or problems with the three bones in the middle ear.
Other causes can include the perforation of the ear drum, fractured bones in the
middle ear, or tumors. Depending on the type and severity of the problem, different
treatments will be proposed. Perforated ear drums, for example, will often heal
by themselves. In many cases, conductive hearing loss can be treated either medically
or surgically, and may not be permanent.
This is hearing loss that is the result of a disorder of the inner ear, called the
cochlea, or the auditory nerve that transmits an auditory signal. There are many
different causes of sensorineural hearing loss including congenital infections,
medications, over-exposure to noise and genetic factors. In half of the cases of
hearing loss present at birth, called congenital hearing loss, the cause is not
determined. Sensorineural hearing loss is usually permanent.
Other Causes: Age-related hearing loss (presbyacusis). This is the natural
decline in hearing that many people experience as they get older and is partly due
to the loss of hair cells in the cochlea; acoustic trauma (injury caused by loud
noise) can damage hair cells; certain viral or bacterial infections such as mumps
or meningitis can lead to loss of hair cells or other damage to the auditory nerve;
Ménière's disease, which causes dizziness, tinnitus, and hearing loss; certain drugs,
such as some powerful antibiotics, can cause permanent hearing loss. At high doses,
aspirin is thought to cause temporary tinnitus - a persistent ringing in the ears.
The antimalarial drug quinine can also cause tinnitus, but it's not thought to cause
permanent damage; Acoustic neuroma is a benign (non-cancerous) tumor affecting the
auditory nerve. It needs to be observed and is sometimes treated with surgery; Other
neurological (affecting the brain or nervous system) conditions such as multiple
sclerosis, stroke, or a brain tumor.
Sometimes a conductive hearing loss occurs in combination with a sensorineural hearing
loss. In other words, there may be damage in the outer or middle ear and in the
inner ear (cochlea) or auditory nerve. When this occurs, the hearing loss is referred
to as a mixed hearing loss.