Sensorineural Hearing Loss: Causes, Treatment and Living With It
Sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) is one of the most frequent forms of permanent hearing impairment, which is primarily caused by a reduction in inner ear or auditory nerve function. It affects millions around the world and has the potential to influence both communication and quality of life.
What is the most common cause of sensorineural hearing loss?
The most typical cause of sensorineural hearing loss is age-related hearing loss or presbycusis. This is because delicate hearing cells in the cochlea start to die as we age, and we are no longer able to hear high-frequency sounds. Other possible causes include long-term exposure to noise, a viral infection, head injuries and some medications.
Sensorineural Hearing Loss Causes
Common reasons of sensorineural hearing loss are:
- Chronic exposure to loud sounds (work, concerts)
- Hearing loss, genetic or hereditary
- Drugs (Some medicines can cause hearing loss) Significantly, drugs such as the following can lead to hearing loss: Some antibiotics Some chemotherapy drugs
- Viral (measles, mumps)
- Birth-related complications
- Brain injury or central nervous system disorders
What are 3 common causes of sensorineural hearing loss?
1. Prolonged exposure to high volume sounds
The lengthy presence of loud noise coming from music and industrial equipment along with traffic has the power to cause permanent destruction to the little hair cells located inside the ear.
Workplace Noise Hazards
Hearing injuries from occupational environments occur most often in construction areas together with industrial facilities and airport platform work zones.
Prevention Tips
Using earplugs together with noise-canceling headphones helps minimize hearing exposure danger. All at-risk workers need to get regular hearing examinations.
2. The processes occurring in the ear while an individual ages (Presbycusis)
Presbycusis describes age-related hearing loss as a natural age-related decline of hearing sensitivity which develops gradually during old age.
Symptoms of Presbycusis
Presbycusis patients face two main hearing challenges: they have difficulties understanding speech and they lose the ability to detect sounds with high pitch frequencies.
Managing Age-Related Loss
Hearing aids together with assistive listening devices prove beneficial for enhancing life quality. Ear examinations must be performed every year by individuals who reach their sixties.
3. The AEs of ototoxic agents
Drug substances which cause toxicity generate harm to the inner ear tissue and eventually produce sensorineural hearing loss.
High-Risk Medications
Hearing gets affected by medicinal substances such as cisplatin and both aminoglycosides (with gentamicin as an example) and loop diuretics.
Monitoring During Treatment
People taking ototoxic drugs need periodic hearing examinations to identify hearing deterioration symptoms at its earliest stages.
Sensorineural hearing loss treatments
While this kind of hearing loss is usually permanent, there are sensorineural hearing loss treatments that can help you hear better and improve your overall quality of life:
Hearing Aids: Useful for mild to moderate SNHL, sound amplification to facilitate listening.
Cochlear Implants: Helps people with severe or profound sensorineural hearing loss who are not helped at all with hearing aids.
Hearing Rehabilitation: Relearning of speech, and counseling to adjust to hearing impairment.
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What is the best remedy for sensorineural hearing loss?
The best treatment is dependent upon the severity and cause. It works for most people with hearing aids. If the loss is severe, cochlear implants are an option.
What are the four types of sensorineural hearing loss?
- Congenital – present at birth
- Acquired – occurs after you are born
- Acute – onset less than 72 hours
- Gradual onset – gets worse in years or occasionally months
Can I have a normal life with mild, moderate hearing loss?
Yes, people with moderate hearing loss can have a completely normal productive life if they are fitted with hearing instruments and given solid tips on how to live with and care for their new hearing.
Is there a cure for TMJ hearing loss?
Temporary hearing loss can be attributed to TMJ (Temporomandibular Joint Disorder). Often, the hearing symptoms may resolve or improve if the TMJ disorder is treated appropriately.
Sensorineural Hearing Loss vs Conductive
Feature | Sensorineural | Conductive |
Affected Area | Inner ear or auditory nerve | Outer or middle ear |
Common Cause | Aging, noise, medications | Earwax, fluid, infections |
Treatment | Hearing aids, implants | Medication, surgery |
Audiogram of Sensorineural Hearing Loss
An audiogram assists in diagnosing SNHL by revealing which frequencies you can or can’t hear. Usually, people with SNHL have the greatest difficulty hearing the higher frequency sounds.
Treatment of Mild Sensorineural Hearing Loss
Hearing aids are very helpful in mild SNHL. Early detection and the fitting of a hearing device can make all the difference.
Sensorineural Hearing Loss ICD-10
There are numerous accessible ICD 10 codes for sensorineural hearing loss that practitioners can tap into to code for these conditions.
The ICD-10 coding of sensorineural hearing loss is H90. 3 to H90. 5 software, for medical diagnosis and insurance.
Source:
AAPC Official Code Lookup – H90 Series
ICD10Data.com – H90.3 to H90.5
World Health Organization – ICD-10 Version:2019
Conclusion
Sensorineural hearing loss may present as a sort of mystery but with the proper diagnosis and treatment, it is quite manageable. Whether it is through hearing aids, implants or therapy, there is a possibility of reclaiming your connection with the world around you.
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FAQs
1. What are 3 causes behind sensorineural hearing loss?
Noise pollution, age and some medications.
2. How can sensorineural hearing loss be best treated?
Hearing aids or cochlear implants according to severity.
3. Is hearing loss related to TMJ reversible?
In some, yes — particularly if treatment for the jaw disorder can be targeted.
