Mixed Hearing Loss

Symptoms, causes and ways to treat Mixed Hearing Loss.

Mixed hearing loss is seen when both the outer or middle ear and the inner ear (or the nerve for hearing) are affected by hearing loss. Because of this condition, a person’s hearing loss is more complicated which can make it more difficult to treat than if each type were considered on its own.

Causes
Someone with this type of hearing loss may have various causes, as it combines conductive and sensorineural problems:

Long-lasting or serious ear infections sometimes cause fluid to accumulate in the middle ear (conductive) and these cases may additionally harm the cochlea or auditory nerve (sensorineural).

Regularly being near noises above 85 decibels can harm your inner ear hair cells (sensorineural), unlike middle ear problems and earwax buildup that cause conductive hearing loss.

Head trauma can harm both the ears and the pathways related to hearing which may cause mixed hearing loss.

There are some hereditary conditions which make people more likely to experience both forms of hearing loss.

Symptoms
Signs of mixed hearing loss are:

Battling to make out sounds or comprehend speech, mainly in places where there is lot of background noise.

Hearing difficulty which comes from weak sound signals getting to the brain and sound processing problems.

As another symptom, tinnitus (a ringing in the ears) can be experienced.

Diagnosis
Both conductive and sensorineural parts of the hearing loss are evaluated in mixed hearing loss using audiological exams—pure-tone audiometry and tympanometry. Imaging may be used to find any damage to the structure itself.

Treatment
How the mixed hearing loss was caused and how severe it is will guide treatment.

Earwax, tumor growths and some other issues can be managed with surgery, earwax cleaning or drugs.

For severe cases in the sensorineural part, people may wear hearing aids or get cochlear implants.

Using a range of interventions together can solve both aspects of mental health problems.

Because mixed hearing loss is unique, a treatment plan should be made to help with communication and quality of life.