Chapter 14: Hearing Loss in Adults

Approximately ____% of the population have a hearing loss.

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Conductive Hearing Loss -Also caused by otosclerosis, a condition in which

abnormal bone growth develops around the ossicles (especially the stapes).

Sensorineural Hearing Loss -More common in

adults than in children

Conductive Hearing Loss -Caused in adults by

cerumen blockage, less commonly by otitis media and damage to outer and mid middle ear structures.

Sensorineural hearing loss results from

outer or inner hair cell damage in the cochlea or damage to the auditory nerve.

Hearing loss goes undetected and/or untreated in more than _____% of adults with hearing loss.

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Recruitment is

a reduced tolerance for loud sounds and is caused by cochlear damage.

Tinnitus is

a ringning or buzzing sound in one or both ears and may be caused by noise exposure, high blood pressure, caffeine, etc.

Conductive Hearing Loss -Generally causes

a slight to moderate loss of hearing in one or both ears

Conductive Hearing Loss -Less common in

adults than in children.

The incidence of acquired hearing loss increases dramatically with

age.

Sensorineural Hearing Loss -Sensorineural hearing loss can be treated effectively with

amplification, but hearing cannot usually be restored.

The most effective treatment approach for adult hearing loss is a

comprehensive plan that combines counseling, fitting of amplification devices, and aural habilitation.

In adults sensorineural hearing loss is more prevalent than

conductive because it is the cochlea and auditory nerve that are most readily affected by aging, noise exposure, illness, disease, and injury.

Neural loss is rare and results from

damage to the auditory nerve.

Sensorineural Hearing Loss -Damage to outer hair cells result in

difficulty with hearing acuity.

Hearing loss in the adult population is classified in terms of

etiology, manifestation, and severity.

Assessment should determine

hearing acuity (or degree of loss), type of loss, cause of loss, and speech perception ability in quiet and in noise.

Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) loss is

hearing loss and loss of speech clarity due to inner hair cell damage.

Conductive Hearing Loss -Typically is amenable to

medical or surgical intervention, so often it is temporary

Sensorineural Hearing Loss -Results from damage to the

outer or inner hair cells of the cochlea.

Sensorineural Hearing Loss -The most common causes of sensorineural hearing loss are

presbycusis and noise exposure.

Presbycusis is

progressive hearing loss that occurs as a result of aging, More prevalent and severe in men. Characterized by hearing loss in the high frequency range of sounds.

Most third-party payers of not

reimburse fro hearing aids or adult aural rehabilitation services.

In children conductive hearing loss is more prevalent than

sensorineural because of the high rates of otitis media in early childhood.

Conductive hearing loss affects

the outer or middle ears.

Conductive Hearing Loss -Otosclerosis occurs twice as commonly in

women than in men.

Sensorineural Hearing Loss -Damage to inner hair cell results in

SNR loss- a decrease in both acuity and a loss of clarity, especially in noise.