Have you ever been in the middle of the road and your car breaks down? That really stinks! You have to pull your car off the road. And then, for whatever reason, you probably open your hood and take a look at your engine.
What’s funny is that you do this even though you have no clue how engines work. Maybe whatever is wrong will be obvious. Inevitably, a tow truck will need to be called.
And a picture of the problem only becomes apparent when mechanics get a look at it. Just because the car is not moving, doesn’t mean you can know what’s wrong with it because automobiles are complex and computerized machines.
The same thing can occur at times with hearing loss. The cause isn’t always obvious by the symptoms. There’s the common culprit (noise-associated hearing loss), sure. But in some cases, something else like auditory neuropathy is the cause.
Auditory neuropathy, what is it?
When most individuals consider hearing loss, they think of noisy concerts and jet engines, excessive noise that damages your hearing. This type of hearing loss, known as sensorineural hearing loss is a bit more complex than that, but you get the point.
But sometimes, long-term hearing loss can be caused by something other than noise damage. A condition known as auditory neuropathy, while less common, can in some cases be the cause. When sound can’t, for some reason, be effectively transmitted to your brain even though your ear is collecting that sound just fine.
Symptoms of auditory neuropathy
The symptoms related to auditory neuropathy are, at first look, not all that dissimilar from those symptoms linked to conventional hearing loss. Things like cranking the volume up on your devices and not being capable of hearing very well in loud settings. This can frequently make auditory neuropathy difficult to diagnose and manage.
Still, auditory neuropathy does have some unique properties that make it possible to identify. When hearing loss symptoms present in this way, you can be pretty certain that it’s not typical noise related hearing loss. Of course, nothing can replace getting a real-time diagnosis from us about your hearing loss.
Here are some of the more unique symptoms of auditory neuropathy:
- Trouble understanding speech: In some cases, the volume of a word is normal, but you just can’t understand what’s being said. Words are confused and unclear.
- Sounds seem jumbled or confused: Again, this isn’t an issue with volume. The volume of what you’re hearing is completely normal, the issue is that the sounds seem jumbled and you can’t understand them. This can go beyond the spoken word and pertain to all types of sounds around you.
- Sound fades in and out: The volume of sound seems to rise and fall like someone is messing with the volume knob. If you’re dealing with these symptoms it could be a case of auditory neuropathy.
What triggers auditory neuropathy?
The root causes of this disorder can, in part, be defined by the symptoms. On a personal level, the reasons why you may develop auditory neuropathy may not be totally clear. Both adults and children can experience this disorder. And, generally speaking, there are a couple of well described possible causes:
- Nerve damage: The hearing portion of your brain gets sound from a specific nerve in your ear. If this nerve gets damaged, your brain can’t receive the complete signal, and as a result, the sounds it “interprets” will seem off. Sounds might seem jumbled or too quiet to hear when this occurs.
- Damage to the cilia that transmit signals to the brain: Sound can’t be passed to your brain in full form once these little fragile hairs have been damaged in a particular way.
Risk factors of auditory neuropathy
Some individuals will develop auditory neuropathy while other people won’t and no one is quite sure why. That’s why there isn’t an exact science to preventing it. Still, there are close associations which might indicate that you’re at a higher risk of developing this condition.
It should be noted that these risk factors aren’t guarantees, you may have all of these risk factors and still not develop auditory neuropathy. But you’re more statistically likely to develop auditory neuropathy the more risk factors you have.
Children’s risk factors
Here are some risk factors that will increase the likelihood of auditory neuropathy in children:
- A low birth weight
- Liver conditions that result in jaundice (a yellow appearance to the skin)
- An abundance of bilirubin in the blood (bilirubin is a normal byproduct of red blood cell breakdown)
- Other neurological conditions
- Preterm or premature birth
- A lack of oxygen before labor begins or during birth
Adult risk factors
For adults, risk factors that raise your likelihood of experiencing auditory neuropathy include:
- Certain infectious diseases, such as mumps
- Family history of hearing disorders, including auditory neuropathy
- Various types of immune disorders
- Overuse of medications that cause hearing problems
Minimizing the risks as much as you can is always a smart plan. Scheduling regular screenings with us is a smart idea, especially if you do have risk factors.
Diagnosing auditory neuropathy
A standard hearing exam consists of listening to tones with a pair of headphones and raising a hand depending on which side you hear the tone on. When you have auditory neuropathy, that test will be of extremely minimal use.
One of the following two tests will normally be used instead:
- Otoacoustic emissions (OAE) test: The response of your inner ear and cochlea to stimuli will be tested with this diagnostic. We will put a small microphone just inside your ear canal. Then a series of tones and clicks will be played. Then your inner ear will be assessed to see how it responds. The data will help determine whether the inner ear is the issue.
- Auditory brainstem response (ABR) test: During this diagnostic test, you’ll have specialized electrodes attached to specific places on your scalp and head. Again, don’t be concerned, there’s nothing painful or uncomfortable about this test. These electrodes place particular focus on tracking how your brainwaves respond to sound stimuli. Whether you’re dealing with sensorineural hearing loss (outer ear) or auditory neuropathy (inner ear) will be determined by the quality of your brainwaves.
Once we do the appropriate tests, we will be able to more effectively diagnose and treat your auditory neuropathy.
Is there treatment for auditory neuropathy?
So, just like you bring your car to the mechanic to have it fixed, you can bring your ears to us for treatment! Generally speaking, there’s no “cure” for auditory neuropathy. But this condition can be treated in a few possible ways.
- Hearing aids: Even with auditory neuropathy, in moderate cases, hearing aids can boost sound enough to enable you to hear better. For some individuals, hearing aids will work perfectly fine! Having said that, this isn’t generally the case, because, once again, volume is almost never the problem. Hearing aids are usually used in combination with other treatments because of this.
- Cochlear implant: For some people, hearing aids will not be able to solve the problems. In these situations, a cochlear implant may be necessary. Signals from your inner ear are transmitted directly to your brain with this implant. They’re quite amazing! (And you can watch many YouTube videos of them working for patients.)
- Frequency modulation: Sometimes, amplification or diminution of certain frequencies can help you hear better. That’s what happens with a technology known as frequency modulation. This approach often makes use of devices that are, essentially, highly customized hearing aids.
- Communication skills training: Communication skills exercises can be combined with any combination of these treatments if necessary. This will help you communicate with the hearing you have and work around your symptoms instead of treating them.
The sooner you receive treatment, the better
As with any hearing condition, timely treatment can result in better results.
So it’s essential to get your hearing loss treated as soon as possible whether it’s the common form or auditory neuropathy. The sooner you make an appointment, the more quickly you’ll be able to hear better, and get back to your everyday life! Children, who experience a lot of cognitive growth and development, especially need to have their hearing treated as soon as possible.