Ear Center: Hearing Loss

Hearing Loss

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Statistics
Types
Evaluation
Treatment
Research

Hearing loss is the most common disability in the world. It is estimated that of the 28.6 million Americans who are hearing impaired, 18.8 million have moderate-to-severe sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL). The range of hearing loss include: mild, moderate, moderately-severe, severe, and profound. The incidence of hearing loss in the United States is increasing both in the younger and older populations.

Current hearing loss statistics include:

  • It is estimated that 34.25 million Americans suffer from hearing loss.
  • This rate of hearing loss has doubled from that reported in 1984 (16.2 million hearing impaired).
  • Hearing loss is growing at a rate 60% greater than the rate of growth of the population.
  • 63% of individuals 70 years old or greater have hearing loss.
  • Only 1 in 5 older adults with hearing loss wear hearing aids.
  • 3% of individuals with mild hearing loss wear hearing aids.

Types of Hearing Loss

There are three main types of hearing loss:

  • Sensorineural hearing loss (inner ear, cochlear, or nerve type hearing loss)
  • Conductive hearing loss (ear canal, middle ear, ear bone type hearing loss)
  • Mixed hearing loss (a combination of sensorineural and conductive hearing loss)

Other forms of hearing loss include central auditory processing disorders and auditory neuropathies. Hearing loss may be genetic or occur spontaneously in any particular individual. Hearing loss may be congenital (present at birth), familial, associated with specific syndromes, traumatic, due to infections or tumors, autoimmune, vascular, metabolic, degenerative, or toxic (from medications, chemicals, heavy metals, toxins, etc.)

Evaluation of Hearing Loss

A thorough evaluation of any hearing loss includes a:

  • Complete ear history and physical examination by qualified examiner
  • Hearing testing by a trained audiologist that includes basic audiometric tests: pure tones, bone conduction levels, speech reception thresholds, and word recognitions scores (discrimination). Additional testing may be necessary to diagnose the hearing loss.
  • Sometimes, imaging studies such as CT scans of the temporal bones and/or MRI head scans are indicated.

Treatment of Hearing Loss

Current treatments include:

  • Digital hearing aids
  • Surgical procedures
    • Ear canal and middle ear operations (tympanoplasty, ossiculoplasty, stapedectomy, etc)
    • Middle ear implants
      • Ototronix Maxum hearing implant
      • MED-EL Vibrant SoundBridge hearing implant
      • Envoy Esteem hearing implant
      • Otologic Carina implant (investigational)
    • Cochlear implants
      • Standard cochlear implants (Cochlear Americas, Advanced Bionics, MED-EL)
      • Hybrid cochlear implants (investigational)
    • Auditory brainstem implants

Hearing Loss Research

Significant basic science research is on-going concerning the genetics of hearing loss. A promising future technology is "auditory regeneration". Mammalian inner ear cells have been stimulated to differentiate into hearing hair cells in the laboratory. However, the technique has not been performed in any human trials.

If you would like to learn more about hearing loss and its treatment, please contact our office at 336-273-9932 and ask to speak to one of our audiologists.

Last revised November 28, 2011