Have you ever been in the middle of the roadway and your car breaks down? That really stinks! Your car has to be safely pulled off the road. And then, for some reason, you probably pop your hood and have a look at your engine.
What’s funny is that you do this even though you have no clue how engines work. Maybe you think there’ll be a handy handle you can turn or something. Ultimately, you have to call someone to tow your car to a garage.
And it’s only when the mechanics get a look at things that you get an understanding of the issue. Just because the car is not starting, doesn’t mean you can know what’s wrong with it because automobiles are complex and computerized machines.
The same thing can happen at times with hearing loss. The cause is not always apparent by the symptoms. There’s the common cause (noise-associated hearing loss), sure. But in some cases, it’s something else, something like auditory neuropathy.
Auditory neuropathy, what is it?
When most individuals consider hearing loss, they think of noisy concerts and jet engines, excessive noise that harms your ability to hear. This form of hearing loss is called sensorineural hearing loss, and it’s a bit more involved than simple noise damage.
But sometimes, this kind of long-term, noise related damage isn’t the cause of hearing loss. A condition known as auditory neuropathy, while less common, can in some cases be the cause. When sound can’t, for whatever 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 traditional hearing loss. You can’t hear very well in loud situations, you keep cranking up the volume on your television and other devices, that sort of thing. That’s why diagnosing auditory neuropathy can be so challenging.
Auditory neuropathy, however, has some unique symptoms that make spotting it easier. These presentations are rather strong indicators that you aren’t experiencing sensorineural hearing loss, but auditory neuropathy instead. Though, as always, you’ll be better informed by an official diagnosis from us.
Here are a few of the more unique symptoms of auditory neuropathy:
- Sounds sound jumbled or confused: This is, once again, not an issue with volume. The volume of what you’re hearing is completely normal, the problem is that the sounds seem jumbled and you can’t make sense of them. This can pertain to all sorts of sounds, not just speech.
- Sound fades in and out: The volume of sound seems to go up and down like somebody is messing with the volume knob. If you’re encountering these symptoms it could be a case of auditory neuropathy.
- An inability to distinguish words: Sometimes, you can’t make out what someone is saying even though the volume is just fine. The words sound garbled or distorted.
Some triggers of auditory neuropathy
These symptoms can be explained, in part, by the root causes behind this specific condition. It may not be entirely clear why you have developed auditory neuropathy on a personal level. This disorder can develop in both children and adults. And there are a couple of well described possible causes, broadly speaking:
- Nerve damage: The hearing center of your brain receives sound from a specific nerve in your ear. The sounds that the brain attempts to “interpret” will seem confused if there is damage to this nerve. When this happens, you may interpret sounds as jumbled, indecipherable, or too quiet to discern.
- Damage to the cilia that send signals to the brain: Sound can’t be sent to your brain in full form once these little delicate hairs have been damaged in a specific way.
Auditory neuropathy risk factors
No one is really certain why some people will develop auditory neuropathy while others might not. That’s why there’s no exact science to combating it. However, there are close connections which may show that you’re at a higher risk of experiencing this condition.
It should be noted that these risk factors are not guarantees, you could have every single one of these risk factors and still not develop auditory neuropathy. But the more risk factors present, the higher your statistical probability of experiencing this condition.
Children’s risk factors
Here are some risk factors that will increase the likelihood of auditory neuropathy in children:
- An abundance of bilirubin in the blood (bilirubin is a normal byproduct of red blood cell breakdown)
- Other neurological conditions
- A lack of oxygen before labor begins or during birth
- Liver disorders that cause jaundice (a yellow look to the skin)
- A low birth weight
- Preterm or premature birth
Adult risk factors
Here are some auditory neuropathy risk factors for adults:
- Mumps and other specific infectious diseases
- Overuse of medications that cause hearing issues
- auditory neuropathy and other hearing conditions that are passed on genetically
- Various kinds of immune diseases
Limiting the risks as much as you can is always a smart plan. Scheduling regular screenings with us is a good plan, especially if you do have risk factors.
How is auditory neuropathy diagnosed?
A normal hearing exam involves listening to tones with a set of headphones and raising a hand depending on which side you hear the tone on. That test won’t help very much with auditory neuropathy.
Rather, we will usually suggest one of two tests:
- Auditory brainstem response (ABR) test: During the course of this diagnostic test, you’ll have special electrodes attached to certain places on your scalp and head. This test isn’t painful or unpleasant in any way so don’t be concerned. These electrodes track your brainwaves, with specific attention to how those brainwaves react to sound. The quality of your brainwave reactions will help us identify whether your hearing problems reside in your outer ear (such as sensorineural hearing loss) or further in (as with auditory neuropathy).
- Otoacoustic emissions (OAE) test: The response of your inner ear and cochlea to stimuli will be checked with this diagnostic. A little microphone is put just inside your ear canal. Then, we will play an array of clicks and tones. Then your inner ear will be assessed to see how it responds. The data will help determine whether the inner ear is the problem.
Diagnosing your auditory neuropathy will be much more successful once we do the applicable tests.
Is there treatment for auditory neuropathy?
So, just like you bring your car to the auto technician to get it fixed, you can bring your ears to us for treatment! Auditory neuropathy generally has no cure. But this condition can be managed in a few possible ways.
- Hearing aids: In some milder cases, hearing aids will be able to provide the necessary sound amplification to help you hear better, even with auditory neuropathy. For some people, hearing aids will work just fine! But because volume isn’t usually the issue, this isn’t typically the case. As a result, hearing aids are frequently coupled with other therapy and treatment options.
- Cochlear implant: Hearing aids won’t be able to solve the issue for most people. It might be necessary to opt for cochlear implants in these cases. This implant, essentially, takes the signals from your inner ear and transports them directly to your brain. The internet has plenty of videos of individuals having success with these amazing devices!
- Frequency modulation: Sometimes, amplification or reduction of specific frequencies can help you hear better. With a technology known as frequency modulation, that’s exactly what occurs. This strategy frequently makes use of devices that are, basically, highly customized hearing aids.
- Communication skills training: In some cases, any and all of these treatments might be combined with communication skills training. This will allow you to work with whatever level of hearing you have to communicate better.
The sooner you receive treatment, the better
Getting your disorder treated promptly will, as with any hearing condition, lead to better outcomes.
So it’s essential to get your hearing loss treated right away whether it’s the ordinary form or auditory neuropathy. You’ll be able to go back to hearing better and enjoying your life after you schedule an appointment and get treated. This can be especially critical for children, who experience a lot of cognitive development and linguistic expansion during their early years.
