I struggle to hear with mild hearing loss. Is ADHD a factor?

Question

Hi doctor,

I am a man in my early 20s and started using hearing aids about a year ago. I am very happy with them; they have changed my life. Recently, I started reading more about hearing loss and now feel confused and uncertain. I was told I have mild mid-frequency hearing loss, which is reflected in my audiometry test.

However, my hearing is barely within the range of being considered a hearing loss. I found that most people with such mild loss can hear fine and do not need hearing aids. When I read about what my hearing loss is supposed to be like, I do not relate. I relate more to descriptions of moderate hearing loss.

Hearing aids help me a lot. Without them, it feels like listening to people talking through a door. I rely heavily on lip-reading if I cannot wear my hearing aids, and phone conversations were almost impossible before I got them. I cannot reconcile my hearing loss with my experience of hearing.

I also have tinnitus, which can be quite severe at times, so that might be a factor. Recently, I have wondered if my hearing difficulties, compared to others with similar levels of hearing loss, could be related to my ADHD and PTSD, which make it hard to focus.

Do you think this is a possibility, or could it simply be that I handle my hearing loss worse than others? I do not understand why I find speech so difficult to hear and why I am so dependent on hearing aids despite my hearing loss being technically very mild.

Kindly help.

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I understand your concern.

Let me provide a statement that explains it perfectly: The ear receives the sound, but the interpretation of sound happens in the brain. Often, with mild hearing loss, speech perception is low, especially when you also have tinnitus.

I hope you have been fitted with digital programmable (computerized) hearing aids. If so, they amplify sound exactly as required at each frequency. There is no need to worry about it. Avoid caffeinated drinks (tea, coffee, alcohol) and noisy situations as much as possible.

Pure tone audiometry is used to test hearing, and in your case, mild mid-frequency hearing loss was observed. However, in day-to-day life, you are not listening to pure tones.

Speech audiometry should also be performed and correlated with pure tone audiometry to get a clearer picture of your problem. My honest suggestion is to continue using the hearing aids to avoid worsening the condition. Stopping their use may cause further deterioration.

I hope this has helped you. Please feel free to reach me again in case of further queries.

Thank you.