Causes of deafness

Introduction

The deafness may occur in the two cases. The first one is related to impairments that are affecting organs and tissues that are all together classified as conductive parts of the sound. The other option is damage of the nerve that is in charge with hearing. Conductive loss happens when the sound from the surrounding area cannot be transferred appropriately because something is blocking the ear canal. This type of deafness is a result of different conditions such as infections of the outer and inner ear, excessive formation of ear wax and so on. The person in this case can hear but the sounds are weak or muffled. Neural hearing loss occurs as a consequence of the damage of the acoustic nerve. The nerve leads from the inner ear to the special area of the brain that is in charge of recognition of sounds. In some people the hearing loss is a consequence of a mixture between conductive and neural loss.

Causes of Hearing Loss

Hearing Loss Related to Pregnancy

Some people are born with no ability to hear. In this case the cause is unknown but it is believed that the condition resulted as a consequence of certain viral infections during the pregnancy or the mother has used certain medications that can generally lead to deafness of the baby.

Disease and Hearing Loss

Ear infections are the leading cause of deafness. The infection is always followed by the collection of mucus that presents the obstacle for the sound. The damage can be temporary or permanent depending on the structure that has been affected during the infection.

Apart from infections otosclerosis is another condition that leads to hearing loss. Otosclerosis is hereditary disease and it features with the excessive growth of bony structures within the ear. Both middle and inner ear can be affected. The disease is progressive and the bony structures that have already been formed can only be removed by certain surgical procedures.

And finally, patients who are suffering from meningitis can have difficulties with hearing but only if the infection has spread from the meninges to the ears.

Ear InjuriesThere are some injuries that can lead to hearing loss. The most common is perforation of the ear drum. Fortunately the ear drum heals on its own and the hearing loss is restored.

Furthermore, foreign objects can be pushed into the outer ear canal and cause hearing loss. This mostly happens in little children who tend to play with tiny little things and push them into ears.

Injury to the ear can be cause by the explosion. The sudden change of pressure leads to perforation of the ear drum. Even a strong slap on the face can be a cause of the ear drum injury.

Nerve damage happens in different conditions. Once the nerve is damage there is no proper repair and the nerve function is lost for good.

And finally, chronic exposure to noise whether it is occupational or sporadic leads to progressive hearing loss.