Have you ever had your car break down in the middle of the road? That really stinks! Your car has to be safely pulled to the side of the road. Then you likely pop your hood and take a look at the engine. Who knows why?
Humorously, you still do this despite the fact that you have no understanding of engines. Perhaps you think there’ll be a convenient handle you can turn or something. Inevitably, a tow truck will need to be called.
And a picture of the problem only becomes evident when experts diagnose it. That’s because cars are complex, there are so many moving pieces and computerized software that the symptoms (a car that won’t start) are not enough to tell you what’s wrong.
The same thing can happen in some cases with hearing loss. The symptom itself doesn’t necessarily reveal what the underlying cause is. Sure, noise-related hearing loss is the common cause. But in some cases, something else like auditory neuropathy is the culprit.
Auditory neuropathy, what is it?
When most people consider hearing loss, they think of noisy 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 idea.
But in some cases, this type of long-term, noise induced damage isn’t the cause of hearing loss. A condition called auditory neuropathy, while less prevalent, can in some cases be the cause. When sound can’t, for some reason, be correctly sent to your brain even though your ear is collecting that sound perfectly fine.
Symptoms of auditory neuropathy
The symptoms associated with auditory neuropathy are, at first glance, not all that distinct from those symptoms linked to conventional hearing loss. You can’t hear well in loud settings, you keep turning the volume up on your television and other devices, that kind of thing. This can frequently make auditory neuropathy hard to diagnose and treat.
Auditory neuropathy, however, has some specific symptoms that make identifying it easier. When hearing loss symptoms manifest like this, you can be pretty certain that it’s not normal 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:
- Trouble understanding speech: Sometimes, you can’t make out what someone is saying even though the volume is just fine. The words sound garbled or distorted.
- Sounds sound jumbled or confused: Once again, this is not an issue with volume. The volume of what you’re hearing is just fine, the issue is that the sounds seem jumbled and you can’t make sense of them. This can pertain to all kinds of sounds, not just spoken words.
- Sound fades in and out: The volume of sound seems to rise and fall like somebody is playing with the volume knob. If you’re experiencing these symptoms it could be a case of auditory neuropathy.
What causes auditory neuropathy?
The root causes of this disorder can, in part, be explained by the symptoms. It may not be very clear why you have developed auditory neuropathy on an individual level. This condition can develop in both adults and children. And, broadly speaking, there are a couple of well defined possible causes:
- Damage to the cilia that transmit signals to the brain: Sound can’t be passed to your brain in full form once these little delicate hairs have been damaged in a specific way.
- Nerve damage: There’s a nerve that carries sound signals from your inner ear to the hearing portion of your brain. The sounds that the brain tries to “interpret” will seem confused if there is damage to this nerve. Sounds may seem jumbled or too quiet to hear when this occurs.
Auditory neuropathy risk factors
Some people will develop auditory neuropathy while other people won’t and no one is quite sure why. Because of this, there isn’t a definitive way to prevent auditory neuropathy. Still, there are close connections which may show that you’re at a higher risk of experiencing this disorder.
Keep in mind that even if you have all of these risk factors you still might or may not develop auditory neuropathy. But the more risk factors present, the higher your statistical likelihood of developing this disorder.
Risk factors for children
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)
- A low birth weight
- Preterm or premature birth
- A lack of oxygen before labor begins or during birth
- Other neurological conditions
- Liver disorders that result in jaundice (a yellow appearance to the skin)
Adult risk factors
Here are some auditory neuropathy risk factors for adults:
- Overuse of medications that cause hearing issues
- Auditory neuropathy and other hearing conditions that are passed on genetically
- Immune diseases of various kinds
- Mumps and other distinct infectious diseases
Minimizing the risks as much as you can is always a good idea. Scheduling regular screenings with us is a good plan, especially if you do have risk factors.
Diagnosing auditory neuropathy
During a normal hearing assessment, you’ll most likely be given a pair of headphones and be told to raise your hand when you hear a tone. When you have auditory neuropathy, that test will be of extremely minimal use.
One of the following two tests will usually be used instead:
- Otoacoustic emissions (OAE) test: This diagnostic is made to measure how well your inner ear and cochlea react to sound stimuli. We will put a little microphone just inside your ear canal. Then a series of clicks and tones will be played. The diagnostic device will then determine how well your inner ear reacts to those tones and clicks. If the inner ear is an issue, this data will expose it.
- Auditory brainstem response (ABR) test: Specialized electrodes will be fastened to specific spots on your head and scalp with this test. This test isn’t painful or unpleasant in any way so don’t be concerned. These electrodes track your brainwaves, with particular attention to how those brainwaves react to sound. The quality of your brainwave responses will help us determine whether your hearing problems reside in your outer ear (as with sensorineural hearing loss) or further in (such as auditory neuropathy).
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 mechanic to have it fixed, you can bring your ears to us for treatment! In general, there’s no “cure” for auditory neuropathy. But this condition can be treated in several possible ways.
- Hearing aids: Even if you have auditory neuropathy, in moderate cases, hearing aids can amplify sound enough to enable you to hear better. Hearing aids will be a sufficient option for some people. But because volume usually isn’t the issue, this isn’t usually the case. Hearing aids are often used in combination with other treatments because of this.
- Cochlear implant: For some individuals, hearing aids won’t be able to solve the problems. In these situations, a cochlear implant could be required. This implant, basically, takes the signals from your inner ear and carries them directly to your brain. They’re pretty amazing! (And you can find all kinds of YouTube videos of them working for patients.)
- Frequency modulation: Sometimes, it’s possible to hear better by increasing or reducing certain frequencies. With a technology known as frequency modulation, that’s precisely what happens. This strategy often uses devices that are, essentially, highly customized hearing aids.
- Communication skills training: In some cases, any and all of these treatments may be combined with communication skills exercises. This will help you communicate with the hearing you have and work around your symptoms instead of treating them.
It’s best to get treatment as soon as possible
Getting your condition treated promptly will, as with any hearing disorder, produce better outcomes.
So if you suspect you have auditory neuropathy, or even just regular old hearing loss, it’s important to get treatment as quickly as possible. The sooner you schedule an appointment, the more quickly you’ll be able to hear better, and get back to your everyday life! Children, who experience a great deal of cognitive growth and development, especially need to have their hearing treated as soon as possible.
