According to Dr. Suraj Kukadia, also known as Dr. ' He explains that 'there are two main types of hearing loss.
There's conductive, and there's sensorineural. ' Conductive hearing loss occurs when sound cannot reach the inner ear through the outer or middle ear, with common causes including earwax buildup, infections, and fluid accumulation behind the eardrum. This type is often treatable, allowing hearing to recover.
If you want to protect your hearing, you need to know this red flag for hearing loss.
Sensorineural hearing loss refers to damage to the inner ear or auditory nerve, typically caused by noise exposure, medications, tumors, or age-related factors. It is considered permanent but can be managed with hearing aids or cochlear implants. However, if sensorineural hearing loss occurs suddenly and rapidly over hours to days, it is deemed a medical emergency.
' Dr. Kukadia describes a self-test: 'And you can tell which type you have by humming. If my left side is affected and the hum is louder in this ear, the one with the hearing loss, then that suggests a conductive hearing loss.
Now, there are two main types of hearing loss. There's conductive, and there's sensorineural. And the difference really does matter.
If the hum is louder in your good ear, then that suggests some sort of sensory neural hearing loss in the affected ear. ' Five warning signs require urgent assessment: sudden hearing loss in one or both ears, hearing loss with dizziness or vertigo, hearing loss with a severe headache, hearing loss after a head injury, and hearing loss with facial weakness. For gradual hearing loss, Dr.
Suraj Kukadia advises that you should still get assessed but it's less urgent; see your GP.