Definition:
Sensorineural hearing loss is hearing loss caused by damage to the auditory nerve or the cochlea, which is the part of the brain that processes sound. It may be present at birth or congenital. It may also be acquired as a result of aging, excessive noise, diseases like meningitis.
Diagnosis:
Diagnosis is achieved by means of thorough ear examination, hearing tests, head CT scan or head MRI, and an EEG.
Treatment:
The treatment of Sensorineural hearing loss is usually with the use of hearing aids and cochlear implants.
Symptoms and Signs:
For babies born with congenital hearing loss, the primary symptom is observed when the baby fails to respond to sounds. No baby babbling or baby noises.
For individuals with sensorineural hearing loss:
* Sounds heard are quieter, distorted and less clear
* High tones are less perceptible
* Difficulty in understanding spoken words when a background noise is present
* Sounds of the letters s, f, and z are not heard
* Ringing, bussing, whistling, hissing and other noise are heard when actually those sounds are not existent in the environment.
* Dizziness and loss of balance (vertigo)
Causes:
Some sensorineural hearing loss is present at birth. Some cases are idiopathic; however, some factors are regarded as contributory including:
* Viral infections like influenza, rubella, rubeola, mumps, and herpes simplex.
* Vascular diseases like leukemia and sickle cell anemia
* Auto-immune disease like temporal arteritis or lupus.
* Drugs that may have caused hearing loss
* Long-term exposure to noise and other environmental factors
* Physical trauma
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