Have you ever had your vehicle break down in the middle of the highway? That really stinks! You have to pull your car off the road. Then you likely pop your hood and have a look at the engine. Who knows why?
Humorously, you still do this despite the fact that you have no understanding of engines. Maybe whatever is wrong will be obvious. Ultimately, a tow truck will need to be called.
And a picture of the problem only becomes obvious when mechanics diagnose it. Just because the car is not starting, doesn’t mean you can tell what’s wrong with it because cars are complex and computerized machines.
With hearing loss, this same type of thing can happen. The symptom itself doesn’t automatically reveal what the underlying cause is. Sure, noise-related hearing loss is the common cause. But sometimes, something else like auditory neuropathy is the culprit.
What is auditory neuropathy?
When most people think about hearing loss, they think of loud concerts and jet engines, excessive noise that damages your hearing. This type of hearing loss, known as sensorineural hearing loss is a bit more complicated than that, but you get the point.
But sometimes, this type of long-term, noise induced damage is not 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 some reason, be correctly transmitted to your brain even though your ear is receiving that sound perfectly fine.
Auditory neuropathy symptoms
The symptoms related to auditory neuropathy are, at first glance, not all that dissimilar from those symptoms associated with conventional hearing loss. Things like cranking up the volume on your devices and not being able to hear very well in loud environments. This can often make auditory neuropathy difficult to diagnose and treat.
Still, auditory neuropathy does have some unique features that make it possible to identify. When hearing loss symptoms present like this, you can be pretty certain that it’s not standard noise related hearing loss. Of course, nothing can replace getting a real-time diagnosis from us about your hearing loss.
The more distinctive symptoms of auditory neuropathy include:
- Sound fades in and out: Maybe it feels like somebody is messing with the volume knob inside of your head! If you’re experiencing these symptoms it may be a case of auditory neuropathy.
- Sounds sound jumbled or confused: This is, once again, not an issue with volume. You can hear sounds but you just can’t understand them. This can apply to all sorts of sounds, not just spoken words.
- The inability to make out words: In some cases, the volume of a word is normal, but you just can’t distinguish what’s being said. The words sound mumbled or distorted.
What triggers auditory neuropathy?
The root causes of this disorder can, in part, be explained by its symptoms. On an individual level, the reasons why you might develop auditory neuropathy may not be completely clear. Both adults and children can experience this disorder. And, generally speaking, there are a couple of well described possible causes:
- Damage to the cilia that send signals to the brain: Sound can’t be passed to your brain in complete form once these little fragile hairs have been compromised in a particular way.
- Nerve damage: There’s a nerve that carries sound signals from your inner ear to the hearing center of your brain. If this nerve gets damaged, your brain can’t get the full signal, and as a result, the sounds it “interprets” will sound off. Sounds may seem garbled or too quiet to hear when this happens.
Auditory neuropathy risk factors
Some people will develop auditory neuropathy while other people won’t and no one is really certain why. That’s why there isn’t an exact science to combating it. Nevertheless, there are close connections which may reveal that you’re at a higher risk of experiencing this condition.
It should be mentioned that these risk factors aren’t guarantees, you might have all of these risk factors and still not develop auditory neuropathy. But the more risk factors shown, the higher your statistical probability of developing this condition.
Children’s risk factors
Here are some risk factors that will increase the likelihood of auditory neuropathy in children:
- A low birth weight
- Preterm or premature birth
- Liver conditions that result in jaundice (a yellow look to the skin)
- Other neurological disorders
- A lack of oxygen during birth or before labor begins
- An abundance of bilirubin in the blood (bilirubin is a normal byproduct of red blood cell breakdown)
Adult risk factors
For adults, risk factors that raise your likelihood of experiencing auditory neuropathy include:
- Certain medications (specifically incorrect use of medications that can cause hearing issues)
- Specific infectious diseases, such as mumps
- Immune disorders of various kinds
- auditory neuropathy and other hearing disorders that are passed on genetically
Minimizing the risks as much as possible is always a good idea. Scheduling regular screenings with us is a smart plan, particularly if you do have risk factors.
Diagnosing auditory neuropathy
A standard hearing exam consists of 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 much with auditory neuropathy.
One of the following two tests will normally be done instead:
- Auditory brainstem response (ABR) test: Specialized electrodes will be fastened to specific places on your scalp and head with this test. Again, don’t be concerned, there’s nothing painful or unpleasant about this test. These electrodes place specific emphasis on tracking how your brainwaves react to sound stimuli. 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 a battery of tones and clicks will be played. Then your inner ear will be measured to see how it responds. If the inner ear is a problem, this data will reveal it.
Once we run the appropriate tests, we will be able to more effectively diagnose and treat your auditory neuropathy.
Does auditory neuropathy have any treatments?
So, in the same way as you bring your car to the auto technician to get it fixed, you can bring your ears to us for treatment! In general, there’s no “cure” for auditory neuropathy. But there are a few ways to manage this disorder.
- Hearing aids: In some less severe cases, hearing aids will be able to supply the necessary sound amplification to help you hear better, even if you have auditory neuropathy. For some individuals, hearing aids will work just fine! Having said that, this isn’t usually the case, because, again, volume is virtually never the problem. Due to this, hearing aids are usually coupled with other therapy and treatment solutions.
- Cochlear implant: For some individuals, hearing aids will not be able to get around the issues. It might be necessary to opt for cochlear implants in these situations. Signals from your inner ear are conveyed directly to your brain with this implant. They’re rather amazing! (And you can watch all kinds of YouTube videos of them working for patients.)
- Frequency modulation: Sometimes, it’s possible to hear better by increasing or lowering specific frequencies. With a technology called frequency modulation, that’s exactly what happens. Essentially, highly customized hearing aids are utilized in this approach.
- Communication skills training: In some cases, any and all of these treatments may be combined with communication skills exercises. This will help you communicate using the hearing you have and work around your symptoms instead of treating them.
It’s best to get treatment as soon as you can
As with any hearing condition, prompt treatment can result in better results.
So it’s important to get your hearing loss treated right away whether it’s the common form or auditory neuropathy. You’ll be able to get back to hearing better and enjoying your life after you make an appointment and get treated. This can be especially critical for children, who experience a lot of cognitive development and linguistic growth during their early years.
