Sensorineural hearing loss

Editor-In-Chief: Prab R Tumpati, MD
Obesity, Sleep & Internal medicine
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Sensorineural hearing loss
Synonyms	Nerve deafness, inner ear hearing loss
Pronounce	N/A
Specialty	N/A
Symptoms	Hearing loss, difficulty understanding speech, especially in noisy environments
Complications	Tinnitus, balance disorders
Onset	Can be congenital or acquired
Duration	Chronic
Types	N/A
Causes	Genetic disorders, noise exposure, ototoxic drugs, aging
Risks	Loud noise exposure, family history of hearing loss
Diagnosis	Audiometry, otoacoustic emissions, auditory brainstem response
Differential diagnosis	Conductive hearing loss, mixed hearing loss
Prevention	Hearing protection, avoiding ototoxic medications
Treatment	Hearing aids, cochlear implants, assistive listening devices
Medication	N/A
Prognosis	Varies depending on cause and treatment
Frequency	Common, especially in older adults
Deaths	N/A

Sensorineural hearing loss is deafness caused by damage to the inner ear or the nerve that conducts signals from the ear to the brain

Causes

• Disease of the blood vessels
• Immune disease
• Infections, such as meningitis, mumps, scarlet fever, and measles
• Injury to the inner ear or nerve
• Meniere disease
• Tumor, such as acoustic neuroma
• Use of certain medications
• Exposure to loud noises frequently

Risk factors

Common risk factors include Occupational or recreational noises, especially if loud. Other risk factors include:

• Aging
• Heredity
• Certain medication
• Infections

Signs and symptoms

• Reduced or loss of hearing
• Difficulty understanding speech
• Sudden or steady loss of hearing
• Stuffy sensation in the ear
• Ringing in the ear
• Dizziness

Diagnosis

• The diagnosis of a sensorineural pattern hearing loss is usually made through audiometry.
• The audiometry shows a significant hearing loss without the air-bone gap seen in conductive hearing loss.
• Imaging studies such as CT scan and or MRI scan to rule out tumors etc.

Treatment

Treatment depends on the cause and severity and may involve some of the following:

• Hearing aids - limited value in true sensorineural hearing loss
• Cochlear or brainstem implants
• Other assistive devices

Supportive treatments include:

• vitamins and antioxidants
• vasodilators
• betahistine (Betaserc) (anti-vertigo drug)
• hyperbaric oxygen
• rheologic agents such as hydroxyethyl starch, dextran and pentoxifylline
• anti-inflammatory agents
• corticosteroids
• intratympanic administration of certain medicine

Prevention

Reducing exposure to loud sounds etc.

Prognosis

Prognosis is guarded

External links

• Wikipedia

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