Diseases and Other Medical Conditions that lead to Hearing Loss

Do you know? More than 5 percent of the global population has hearing disability. Usually, people don't take auditory disabilities seriously which is one of the prime reasons for young individuals losing their ability to hear.

Mainly there are two main types of hearing loss:

1)      Congenital hearing loss- Individual who is deaf by birth.

2)      Acquired hearing loss- Individual who lost his/her hearing ability after birth.

Now the question arises, what are the main causes of this medical condition?

Causes of hearing loss can be mild to severe, injury to the ear can lead to hearing loss. Genetic defects may also lead to this medical condition, ageing is also a very common cause which majority of senior citizens experience nowadays.

 

Causes of temporary hearing loss

1)      Ear wax- Ear wax is secreted by ear canal to lubricate and protect the tissues from infection. Accumulation of ear wax can block the canal which can result in short term hearing loss.

2)      Foreign Substance- Entrance of a foreign substance like small insects, water or dust particles can induce ear pain and can result in temporary hearing loss.

3)      Mucus- Blockage of eustachian tube by mucus due to the medical conditions like common cold or flu results in temporary hear loss.

4)      Infections- Infections like Otitis externa (infection in outer ear? And otitis media (middle ear infection) can result into temporary hearing impairment.

 

Causes of permanent hearing loss

1)      Hereditary disorders- Hereditary disorders are those disorders in which the affected genes are passed on to the next generation. Mostly hereditary hearing loss is a result of abnormalities of the inner ear.

2)      Genetic disorders- Hearing loss as a result of genetic mutations comes under the category of genetic disorders. Diseases like osteogenesis imperfecta, patau syndrome are very common examples of this category

3)      Noise- Some individuals nowadays have a really bad habit of listening loud music, prolonged exposure to loud music can result into permanent hearing loss. People working in a noisy environment can also develop this medical condition

4)      Trauma- Any external damage to the eardrum can be very fatal, a accident or injury can adversely affect the mechanism of ear.

5)      Diseases-  Diseases like mumps, cytomegalovirus, meningitis etc. if not treated property can result into permanent hearing loss.

6)      Age- Also referred to as Presbycusis, after attaining higher age it becomes difficult for the people to understand higher frequencies. After the age of 60 the hearing ability detiorates very quickly.

Paying a visit to Ent specialist clinic at regular intervals is very necessary when you have ear related problems. Regular checkups and appropriate treatment are an integral part of this medical condition. People have to take consultation from best Ent doctor in Mumbai as Mumbai known for Ent specialist doctors.

Hearing aid is the only solution for permanent hearing impairment, most of patients cannot afford hearing aids as it is quite costly in India. Although these hearing aids can make life easy for deaf people to quite an extent.