Hearing Loss in Children

Two to 3 children out of 1,000 in the U.S. are born deaf or with some loss of hearing, according to the National Institutes of Health. Any kind of early hearing loss can be a serious problem. It can affect language development. There are three types of hearing loss,

Conductive hearing loss is due to problems with the ear canal, ear drum, or middle ear (the malleus, incus, and stapes). There are several possible causes of conductive hearing loss. Many conditions can cause hearing problems in young children, including illnesses such as meningitis, encephalitis, measles, chickenpox, and the flu. Head injuries, very loud noises, and certain medications can also cause hearing loss. There may be a malfunction of outer ear, ear canal, or middle ear structures. Ear infection (otitis media) of the middle ear, in which an accumulation of fluid may interfere with the movement of the eardrum and ossicles, or infections in the ear canal are possible causes. Allergies and/or colds that produce fluid in the middle ear can cause conductive hearing loss. Poor Eustachian tube function, perforated eardrum, and benign tumors, along with impacted earwax or a foreign body in the ear may also be causatives. Otosclerosis, a hereditary disorder caused by abnormal bone remodeling in the middle ear, in which bone tissue renews itself by replacing old tissue with new, can disrupt the ability of sound traveling from the middle ear to the inner ear, causing conductive hearing

Sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) is due to problems of the inner ear, also known as nerve-related hearing loss. Exposure to loud noise, head trauma, tumors and malformation of the inner ear can result in a sensorinural hearing loss. Virus, autoimmune inner ear disease and Meniere’s disease are also possible causes of SNHL. Sensorineural hearing loss can run in the families, as well as aging (presbycusis). Otosclerosis can effect both conductive and sensorinural hearing loss.

Mixed hearing loss refers to a combination of conductive and sensorineural hearing loss. This means that there may be damage in the outer or middle ear and in the inner ear (cochlea) or auditory nerve.

Early diagnosis is essential to language development. Next week: What are the signs to look for?