Sensorineural Hearing Loss

Sensorineural hearing loss is the type of hearing loss in which the vestibulocochlear nerve is mostly affected; other parts of the ear like the central processing centers of the brain and the inner ear are also affected in this type of hearing loss.

Sensorineural hearing loss may be severe, moderate or even mild in some cases it can also cause total deafness. The majority of sensorineural hearing loss in humans is due to the abnormalities in the hair cells in the organ of corti; this organ is present in the cochlea. Sometimes there is unusual sensorineural hearing loss that occurs in the VIII th cranial nerve in the auditory portions of the brain. In rare cases of these sorts only the auditory centre of the brain gets affected. In these types of rare cases the sounds of the speech may be heard but the quality of sound is so poor that it becomes impossible to understand the speech.

The hair cells whose abnormality cause sensorineural hearing loss may be abnormal from birth or may be damaged during the lifetime of the individual. The causes of damage may be extensive or intrinsic, external causes can be infection of noise trauma that causes the disease. The internal causes can be the genetic disorders and the intrinsic deficiencies.

Sensorineural hearing loss can be congenital or acquired. Reasons for congenital sensorineural hearing loss:

• Lack of cochlear development in the individual.
• Sometimes it can happen because of the rare chromosomal syndromes that occur in a person.
• The squamous epithelium behaves like an invasive tumor and if it is not removed it can destroy the middle ear causing this disease.

Reasons for acquired sensorineural hearing loss:

• Some of the acquired reasons can be due to the inflammatory reasons like mumps, measles, meningitis and even viral that would have been to the mother and can be transferred genetically.
• This kind of disease can also occur due to consuming drugs or sometimes even excessive antibiotics. Some ototoxic drugs like loop diuretics, salicylates, antimetabolites and amino glycosides.
• Sometimes this kind of hearing loss can also occur due to any fracture or bone loss even in the cochlea.

The sensorineural hearing loss is a major hearing loss disease so the person needs to take proper care about this kind of hearing loss disorder. The person suffering from this should undergo regular checkup and proper care. There are hearing aids that are available and have provided relief to people with sensorineural hearing loss.