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General
Hearing loss is a common problem caused by noise, aging, disease, and heredity. It can be either temporary or permanent, involve one ear or both. Gradually deterioration of your hearing in both ears is most likely due to natural ageing, whereas sudden loss of hearing in one ear can be caused by ear wax, ear infection, perforated (burst) eardrum or Ménière's disease. The type of hearing loss you have depends on what part of your hearing is damaged. There are three basic types of hearing loss: *Conductive hearing loss* in which the sound cannot pass through your outer and middle ear, *sensorineural hearing loss* where there is a problem with your inner ear or your auditory nerves and *mixed hearing loss* which is a combination of the two.
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Signs & symptoms
It is not easy to notice that your hearing is deteriorating. You may notice you are having a hard time hearing conversation clearly, especially in a load environment, and you ask others to repeat their words often. You might be listening to the radio or watching TV at high volume. Others may notice the deterioration in your hearing before you do.
Diagnosis
Your doctor will ask about your symptoms and look inside your ear for infection or build-up wax that can be a possible cause of hearing loss. Next, your doctor will probably refer you to a hearing test that will define the degree of hearing loss and its type.
Treatment
If you suffer from hearing loss related to aging, your doctor will probably recommend a hearing aid. If you have other type of hearing loss, it may require other treatments. *Hearing aids* are electronic, battery-run devices that make sounds louder. There are many types of hearing aids on the market, and it might take a few tries to find the right one for you. Hearing aids can help improving your quality of life and your ability to engage in a conversation.
Note
☝ We provide information on prescription and over-the-counter medicines, diagnosis, procedures and lab tests. This material is provided for educational purposes only and is not medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
National Institutes of Health ∙ World Health Organization ∙ MedlinePluse ∙ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
☝ All information has been reviewed by certified physicians from Alike
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