13/04/2018
What is Sensorineural Hearing Loss?
The vast majority of people with hearing loss have sensorineural hearing loss. This occurs when there is a problem with the sensory (hair cells) and/or neural structures (nerves) in the inner ear (cochlea). Most often, sensorineural hearing loss involves damage to the tiny hair cells that are activated by sound waves to vibrate and release chemical messengers that stimulate the auditory nerve. The auditory nerve is made up of many nerve fibers that then carry signals to the brain that are interpreted as sound. While sensorineural hearing loss usually involves damage to the tiny hair cells, it also can result from damage to the auditory nerve.
A sensorineural hearing loss reduces the intensity of sound. But a sensorineural hearing loss also can distort what is heard—even when the sounds are loud enough. That is why people with sensorineural hearing loss often struggle to hear words clearly—particularly certain spoken consonant sounds and when in noisy environments.
Most sensorineural hearing loss cannot be reversed with medical treatment and is typically described as an irreversible, permanent condition.
The good news is that once any underlying medical conditions have been ruled out or addressed, most people with sensorineural hearing loss can benefit from hearing aids.
Ninety-one percent of people who purchased hearing aids in the last year say they’re satisfied, in fact. And 90 percent say they’d recommend getting hearing aids to family members and friends.
Some of the potential causes of sensorineural hearing loss include:
* Exposure to loud noise
* Ageing
* Medicines that damage the ear (ototoxic)
* Illnesses, such as meningitis, measles and certain autoimmune disorders, among others
* Genetics—that is, hearing loss runs in the family
* Trauma to the head
* Structural malformation of the inner ear
www.phonak.co.za
