Conductive Hearing Loss

Conductive hearing loss is primarily caused by problems associated with the external ear and auditory canal, which is basically everything outside of the tympanic membrane (eardrum) and in the middle ear, or assicles, consisting of the hammer, anvil, stirrup, and cochlea. Conductive hearing loss can sometimes develop along with sensorineural hearing loss, sometimes not. Regardless of the particular circumstances, however, both medical and surgical treatments will provide a solution and assist in improving the situation so that health is no longer endangered and hearing is restored.

Several of the causes of conductive hearing loss are common, but some are serious. Those causes include, among other things: cerumen (earwax) compaction, which many suffer on a regular basis; otitis externa and otitis media, or ear aches, associated with inflammation of the auditory canal and middle ear respectively; inflections that can bring about swellings and, if severe enough, drainage of puss or other bacterial fluids due to diseases or conditions such as Cholesteatoma (the growth of a sac in the middle ear), Otosclerosis and Exostosis (temporal bone disorders), or a tumor. The tearing or puncturing of the tympanic membrane (eardrum) can also lead to an infection but regardless will result in instant hearing loss. These can be uncomfortable, even painful, and if they aren’t treated soon enough, hearing loss might definitely ensue, either temporarily or permanently. Even moderate conductive hearing loss, due to a non-serious cause, can bring about deafness if left gone untreated.

Treatments for conductive hearing loss depend on the nature and severity of the condition. For mild hearing loss, medications, like antibiotics for infections, and surgery for the inaccessible regions of the middle ear where bacterial sacs infest and grow. In regards to the latter, though, surgery should only be reserved as a last alternative to medication. Exostosis, however, cannot be treated with medication; new bones growth on or near existing bones need to be surgically removed without consideration, otherwise pain, discomfort and increasing hearing loss will persist until permanent damage and even deafness results. In the most severest cases where damage is irreparable or irreversible, hearing aid solutions will rectify the situation, as long as the specifications of the hearing aid are customized according the audiologist’s prescribed recommendations for the patient’s particular needs as assessed through a conductive hearing loss audiogram or other type of hearing examinations. Conductive hearing loss treatment, when approached carefully, can eliminate any form of hearing loss.

Conductive hearing loss can be disconcerting, even scary, but those who suffer from it can overcome it, as long as they remain calm and act promptly.