Mixed Hearing Loss

What Is Mixed Hearing Loss?

Mixed hearing loss is a condition when both sensorineural and conductive hearing loss occur at the same time. This indicates injury in the outer or middle ear and the inner ear (cochlea) or auditory nerve. As a result, this condition can cause mild or moderate to severe hearing loss. In addition, most individuals with mixed hearing loss experience sound as very soft in volume, making them difficult to understand.

What Is Sensorineural Hearing Loss?

This permanent hearing loss is the most common of all types. This typically happens when the hair cells within the inner ear or the auditory nerve get damaged, weakening or preventing the transfer of nerve signals to the brain.

What Causes Sensorineural Hearing Loss?

Common causes include:

• Exposure to loud noises.

• Aging (medically known as presbycusis or age-related hearing loss).

Less common causes include:

• Virus or disease.

• Heart diseases and diabetes (high blood sugar levels).

• Infections such as mumps (a viral disease affecting salivary glands on each side).

• Meniere's disease (inner ear problem causing dizziness).

• Medication side effects.

• Cancerous growths in the inner ear.

• Autoimmune diseases, such as thyroid disease.

• Traumatic brain injuries and concussions damage the inner ear or auditory nerve.

What Are the Clinical Manifestations of Sensorineural Hearing Loss?

Sensorineural hearing loss symptoms often affect the loudness and clarity of sounds. Most people with this kind of hearing loss have high-frequency hearing loss, which may result in the following problems with hearing:

• Issues in following a conversation, particularly when several folks converse simultaneously.

• The speech of others may appear mumbled or slurred.

• Ringing in the ears (tinnitus).

• Difficulty hearing in noisy environments like construction sites, train stations, convention centers, and sports arenas.

• Difficulty hearing high-pitched sounds, including alarms and babies’ crying.

• Trouble hearing certain speech sounds during conversations (ess or th sound).

• A feeling of being dizzy or off-balance.

What Is Conductive Hearing Loss?

Conductive hearing loss is a relatively less common type of hearing loss. It happens when an outer or middle ear obstruction or damage prevents further sound conduction to the inner ear. For example, conductive hearing loss is commonly seen in children with recurrent ear infections or those seen inserting foreign bodies into their ear canal. Conductive hearing loss can be categorized as temporary or permanent based on its cause.

What Causes Conductive Hearing Loss?

Conductive hearing loss causes can be determined by which part of the ear they affect either the outer or middle ear:

• Malformation of the middle ear, outer ear, or ear canal.

• Fluid build up in the middle ear from colds.

• Otitis media (infection of middle ear in which a fluid build-up may interfere with the movement of the ossicles and eardrum).

• Allergies.

• Poor eustachian tube function.

• Perforated eardrum.

• Impacted earwax.

• Foreign object in the ear.

• Outer ear canal Infection (swimmer's ear).

• Thickening of the tympanic membrane (tympanosclerosis).

• Abnormal tumors within the middle ear, including cholesteatoma or glomus.

• Bone-like protrusions inside the ear canal (exostoses).

• A congenital deformity occurs when the outer ear does not develop completely during the first trimester of pregnancy (microtia).

• A breach in the tympanic membrane due to an injury, ear infections, or rapid air pressure changes.

• Otosclerosis (an uncommon condition that affects the tiny middle ear bone called stapes).

• Break in the middle ear bone due to an injury or heavy trauma.

What Are the Common Symptoms of Conductive Hearing Loss?

In conductive hearing loss, the sensitive inner ear and auditory nerve remain intact, individuals with this hearing loss mainly have difficulty only with the loudness of sounds, but not the clarity. Individuals with this loss usually feel that turning the radio or television volume can improve their hearing ability. The following symptoms are also observed with this type of loss:

• Pain in one or both ears.

• A foul odor from the ear canal.

• Effortless hearing out of one ear than the other.

• Pressure sensation in one or both ears.

• Frustration or difficulty with telephone conversations.

What Are the Treatment Options for Mixed Hearing Loss?

Treatment for mixed hearing loss typically depends on the type of hearing loss. Here is a list of treatment modalities for mixed hearing loss:

• Surgery: Surgical procedures work to correct the conductive hearing part of mixed hearing loss. If the sensorineural hearing loss is slight and the conductive hearing loss is significant. In that case, surgery can be performed. In addition, surgically implanting hearing devices can treat some forms of mixed hearing loss. In these procedures, one titanium implant is placed inside the bone behind the ear, and another, paired with magnets, is underneath the skin behind the ear.

• Hearing Aids: These are a good option for people who want to avoid surgery. These hearing aids can check and amplify sound according to hearing loss. It helps individuals of all ages and can manage mild to severe hearing loss.

• Removing Ear Wax: A build-up of ear wax can obstruct the ear canal and cause temporary conductive hearing loss. It may also prevent hearing aids from working correctly. Options for addressing impacted ear wax include visiting a healthcare provider or using over-the-counter wax removal kits.

Mixed hearing loss can be managed and treated. The earlier hearing loss symptoms are addressed the better the outcome of the treatment. If someone has hearing loss, they should see a healthcare professional right away. They help investigate the underlying cause and recommend treatment modalities.

Conclusion:

When sensorineural hearing loss happens in combination with conductive hearing loss, it is called mixed hearing loss. This means that with mixed hearing loss, there is injury in the middle or outer ear and the inner ear or auditory nerve. Mixed hearing loss treatment depends on whether the loss is more sensorineural or conductive. If a conductive component causes a more significant portion of the loss, surgical procedures and other medical therapies might correct the hearing concerns more effectively. On the other hand, hearing aids or implantable devices may be the best option if the loss is more sensorineural. If someone thinks they might have a hearing loss, getting the hearing checked by a healthcare professional is a good idea.