Have you ever been in the middle of the roadway and your car breaks down? That really stinks! You have to pull your car safely to the side of the road. And then, for some reason, you probably open your hood and take a look at your engine.
What’s funny is that you do this even though you have no idea how engines work. Perhaps you think there’ll be a handy knob you can turn or something. Ultimately, a tow truck will need to be called.
And it’s only when the professionals check out things that you get an understanding of the problem. Just because the car is not moving, doesn’t mean you can tell what’s wrong with it because vehicles are complex and computerized machines.
With hearing loss, this same type of thing can happen. The cause isn’t always evident by the symptoms. Sure, noise-related hearing loss is the common cause. But sometimes, it’s something else, something like auditory neuropathy.
What is auditory neuropathy?
Most people think of really loud noise such as a rock concert or a jet engine when they think of hearing loss. This form of hearing loss, known as sensorineural hearing loss is a bit more complex than that, but you get the idea.
But in some cases, this kind of long-term, noise related damage isn’t the cause of hearing loss. While it’s less common, hearing loss can in some cases be caused by a condition known as auditory neuropathy. This is a hearing condition where your ear and inner ear receive sounds perfectly fine, but for some reason, can’t fully transfer those sounds to your brain.
Symptoms of auditory neuropathy
The symptoms related to auditory neuropathy are, at first glimpse, not all that distinct from those symptoms linked to traditional hearing loss. Things like cranking up the volume on your devices and not being able to hear well in loud settings. This can often make auditory neuropathy difficult to diagnose and manage.
Auditory neuropathy, however, has some distinctive symptoms that make determining it easier. When hearing loss symptoms manifest like this, you can be pretty certain that it’s not typical noise related hearing loss. Though, as always, you’ll be better informed by an official diagnosis from us.
Here are some of the more unique symptoms of auditory neuropathy:
- Sound fades in and out: The volume of sound seems to go up and down like someone is playing with the volume knob. If you’re encountering these symptoms it may be a case of auditory neuropathy.
- An inability to distinguish words: In some cases, the volume of a word is just fine, but you just can’t distinguish what’s being said. Words are confused and muddled sounding.
- Sounds sound jumbled or confused: Once again, this is not an issue with volume. The volume of what you’re hearing is completely normal, the issue is that the sounds seem jumbled and you can’t understand them. This can pertain to all sorts of sounds, not just speech.
Some causes of auditory neuropathy
These symptoms can be articulated, in part, by the underlying causes behind this specific disorder. On an individual level, the reasons why you may develop auditory neuropathy may not be entirely clear. This condition can develop in both adults and children. And, broadly speaking, there are a couple of well described possible causes:
- Damage to the cilia that send signals to the brain: If these fragile hairs in your inner ear become damaged in a specific way, the sound your ear detects can’t really be sent on to your brain, at least, not in its full form.
- Damage to the nerves: There’s a nerve that carries sound signals from your inner ear to the hearing center of your brain. The sounds that the brain attempts to “interpret” will seem confused if there is damage to this nerve. Sounds may seem jumbled or too quiet to hear when this occurs.
Risk factors of auditory neuropathy
Some people will experience auditory neuropathy while others won’t and no one is really sure why. As a result, there isn’t a definitive way to prevent auditory neuropathy. Nevertheless, there are close associations which might reveal that you’re at a higher risk of developing this disorder.
Bear in mind that even if you have all of these risk factors you still may or may not develop auditory neuropathy. But the more risk factors shown, the higher your statistical likelihood of experiencing this disorder.
Risk factors for children
Factors that can increase the risk of auditory neuropathy for children include the following:
- A low birth weight
- Preterm or premature birth
- An abundance of bilirubin in the blood (bilirubin is a normal byproduct of red blood cell breakdown)
- Liver disorders that lead to jaundice (a yellow appearance to the skin)
- A lack of oxygen during birth or before labor begins
- Other neurological conditions
Adult risk factors
For adults, risk factors that raise your likelihood of developing auditory neuropathy include:
- Overuse of medications that cause hearing problems
- Immune disorders of various types
- Mumps and other distinct infectious diseases
- Family history of hearing conditions, including auditory neuropathy
In general, it’s a smart idea to limit these risks as much as you can. Scheduling regular screenings with us is a good idea, especially if you do have risk factors.
Diagnosing auditory neuropathy
During a normal hearing assessment, you’ll likely be given a pair of headphones and be told to raise your hand when you hear a tone. That test won’t help very much with auditory neuropathy.
One of the following two tests will usually be used instead:
- Otoacoustic emissions (OAE) test: The reaction of your inner ear and cochlea to stimuli will be tested with this diagnostic. We will put a small microphone just inside your ear canal. Then, we will play an array of clicks and tones. Then your inner ear will be measured to see how it reacts. The data will help identify whether the inner ear is the problem.
- Auditory brainstem response (ABR) test: Specialized electrodes will be connected to certain spots on your scalp and head with this test. Again, don’t be concerned, there’s nothing painful or unpleasant about this test. These electrodes track your brainwaves, with specific attention to how those brainwaves respond to sound. The quality of your brainwave responses will help us determine whether your hearing issues reside in your outer ear (such as sensorineural hearing loss) or further in (as with 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, just like 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 there are a few ways to treat this disorder.
- Hearing aids: In some milder cases, hearing aids will be able to supply the necessary sound amplification to help you hear better, even with auditory neuropathy. For some individuals, hearing aids will work perfectly fine! But because volume usually isn’t the issue, this isn’t typically the case. Hearing aids are usually used in conjunction with other treatments because of this.
- Cochlear implant: For some people, hearing aids won’t be able to get around the problems. In these cases, a cochlear implant could be needed. This implant, essentially, takes the signals from your inner ear and carries them directly to your brain. The internet has plenty of videos of people having success with these remarkable devices!
- Frequency modulation: Sometimes, amplification or reduction of specific frequencies can help you hear better. That’s what occurs with a technology called frequency modulation. Basically, highly customized hearing aids are used in this strategy.
- Communication skills training: Communication skills exercises can be put together with any combination of these treatments if necessary. 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, produce better outcomes.
So if you think you have auditory neuropathy, or even just ordinary hearing loss, it’s essential to get treatment as soon as you can. The sooner you make an appointment, the more quickly you’ll be able to hear better, and get back to your daily life! Children, who experience a lot of cognitive growth and development, especially need to have their hearing treated as soon as possible.