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Today we often see patients who are diagnosed with sensorineural hearing loss. Let’s take a closer look at this disorder and modern methods for management.
Medical statistics show that today people are increasingly suffering from hearing problems. The percentage of sick Americans is growing every year. Many patients wait too long to seek help. This greatly complicates the treatment process, so it is very important not to miss the moment and turn to specialists as quickly as possible.
What is sensorineural hearing loss?
Sensorineural hearing loss is a permanent type of ailment. It’s caused by a damaged inner ear or the hearing nerve from the ear to the brain. It results in difficulty for individuals to understand soft sounds. It can also make louder sounds seem muffled making it more difficult to understand spoken language.
What are the causes of the ailment?
Sensorineural hearing loss is divided into congenital and acquired. Most people suffer from the second type of disorder because they are often confronted with the causes leading to it. Some of the causes are:
Long-term exposure to noise. This is the main reason for the development of many disorders. We examined it in detail in our article. Please refer to the article for more details
Family history. Genetics always play a role in our health, this applies to hearing health as well
Complications of infectious diseases. Hearing loss can be a side effect of various illnesses
Interaction with chemicals and toxins. This would include medications that we take over the years or need to take to treat a specific ailment
Pay attention to your health and environment if you do not want to suffer from sensorineural hearing loss. This is especially true for older individuals, simply because more years have passed with exposure to the variety of things mentioned above. Indeed, today’s age-related hearing loss occurs in almost every American.
The main symptoms of sensorineural hearing loss
Time is an important factor in the treatment of any disorder. Stopping the disease in the early stages is much easier and faster than in the later stages. Let’s look at the first signs of the ailment:
Speech and other sounds may sound Muffled
Understanding words, particularly in background noise may be difficult
Difficulty hearing consonants
Frequently asking others to repeat or speak louder
Turning up the volume on television or radio
Another important sign that your ears need to be checked is tinnitus. Ringing in the ears can indicate various medical problems including sensorineural hearing loss. We recommend looking at the link below for more details about tinnitus: https://audiologyisland.com/services/tinnitus-evaluations-and-treatment
Balance issues are also a vital part of checking your hearing. Not perceiving your environment can lead to localization issues as well as overall awareness leading to imbalance and ultimately falls. We have dedicated a separate blog article to this important topic.
Hearing is a vital part of everything we do, and its absence can lead to a variety of health issues. This includes anxiety, fatigue, cardiovascular issues as well as cognitive decline. The earlier hearing loss is addressed the more likely the above mentioned ailments can be avoided. Solving the problem early will help preserve speech clarity.
Do you have the symptoms described above? Be sure to take our online test. You will receive a free hearing test and free medical advice. Just follow the link: https://audiologyisland.com/online-hearing-test/
Why is sensorineural hearing loss dangerous?
Sensorineural hearing loss is a symptom or complication of any congenital, acquired, or genetic disease. In turn, it causes unpleasant complications that interfere with life. Children may suffer from:
Muteness. The disorder occurs with congenital profound hearing loss, if not corrected at an early age
The appearance of specific speech defects since a person does not understand certain sounds and cannot pronounce them correctly
Delayed speech and mental development. An insufficient amount of sound stimuli enters the cerebral cortex to form the standard of speech
Often adults develop psychopathy. A person closes, ceases to communicate with others, becomes touchy, tearful or irritable. Gradually, he separated from society.
In old age, Alzheimer’s disease progresses faster, a person degrades faster. Scientists have found a connection between acquired hearing loss and depression in the adult population. Fortunately, these complications can be avoided if you seek help in time.
How to treat sensorineural hearing loss?
Treatment options are always individualized. The first step is to have the proper diagnoses. This is done in the office with our state-of-the-art equipment. Depending on the cause of the hearing loss, we will have an individualized plan. After the evaluation, your prescription is determined. This means we will know the degree and type of loss you have and explain the results as well as their implications.
Do not despair and panic if the diagnosis reveals you or your family member has a hearing loss. Our audiologist will advise you on hearing aids for the timely correction of problems. The specialist selects devices taking into account the severity of the ailment, patient’s lifestyle and budget. They can be easily customized according to an individual program, thereby making use as efficient and convenient as possible.
An individual with hearing loss, will have a decrease in their quality of life. Communication plays a vital role in our happiness and that makes addressing your hearing so important. Hearing aids are the easiest way to address this issue and continue living your life to the fullest.
About Dr Stella Fulman
Dr. Stella Fulman, AU.D., CCC-A received her Bachelors and Masters degrees in Audiology from Brooklyn College in 2004 and her Doctorate of Audiology from Salus University in 2008. [ Learn More ]
