Have you ever been in the middle of the road and your car breaks down? That really stinks! You have to pull your car safely to the side of the road. And then, for whatever reason, you probably open your hood and have a look at your engine.
Humorously, you still do this despite the fact that you have no knowledge of engines. Maybe you think there’ll be a handy knob you can turn or something. Inevitably, a tow truck will have to be called.
And a picture of the issue only becomes obvious when mechanics diagnose it. That’s because cars are complicated, 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 at times with hearing loss. The symptom itself doesn’t necessarily indicate what the cause is. There’s the usual culprit (noise-related hearing loss), sure. But sometimes, it’s something else, something such as auditory neuropathy.
Auditory neuropathy, what is it?
Most people think of extremely loud noise such as a rock concert or a jet engine when they think of hearing loss. This form of hearing loss is known as sensorineural hearing loss, and it’s somewhat more involved than basic noise damage.
But sometimes, this sort of long-term, noise induced damage isn’t the cause of hearing loss. A condition called auditory neuropathy, while less common, can sometimes be the cause. This is a hearing condition where your ear and inner ear receive sounds just fine, but for some reason, can’t fully convey those sounds to your brain.
Auditory neuropathy symptoms
The symptoms related to auditory neuropathy are, at first glance, not all that distinct from those symptoms linked to conventional hearing loss. Things like turning the volume up on your devices and not being capable of hearing well in loud environments. This can sometimes make auditory neuropathy difficult to diagnose and manage.
Auditory neuropathy, however, has some distinctive symptoms that make diagnosing it easier. When hearing loss symptoms manifest like this, you can be fairly certain that it’s not normal noise related hearing loss. Though, as always, you’ll be better served by an official diagnosis from us.
The more unique symptoms of auditory neuropathy include:
- Sounds seem jumbled or confused: Again, this isn’t an issue with volume. You can hear sounds but you simply can’t make sense of them. This can apply to all kinds of sounds, not just spoken words.
- Difficulty understanding speech: Sometimes, you can’t make out what a person is saying even though the volume is just fine. Words are confused and muddled sounding.
- Sound fades in and out: The volume of sound seems to go up and down like someone is messing with the volume knob. If you’re dealing with these symptoms it could be a case of auditory neuropathy.
What causes auditory neuropathy?
These symptoms can be articulated, in part, by the root causes behind this specific disorder. On an individual level, the reasons why you might develop auditory neuropathy might not be completely clear. This condition can develop in both children and adults. And, broadly speaking, there are a couple of well defined possible causes:
- Nerve damage: There’s a nerve that transmits sound signals from your inner ear to the hearing portion of your brain. If this nerve becomes damaged, your brain doesn’t get the full signal, and as a result, the sounds it “interprets” will seem off. Sounds may seem jumbled or too quiet to hear when this happens.
- Damage to the cilia that transmit signals to the brain: If these fragile hairs inside of your inner ear become compromised in a particular way, the sound your ear detects can’t really be sent on to your brain, at least, not in its full form.
Auditory neuropathy risk factors
No one is really sure why some individuals will experience auditory neuropathy while others might not. That’s why there isn’t an exact science to combating it. However, there are close associations which might indicate that you’re at a higher risk of experiencing this disorder.
It should be noted that these risk factors are not guarantees, you could have all of these risk factors and still not develop auditory neuropathy. But the more risk factors present, the higher your statistical likelihood of experiencing this disorder.
Children’s risk factors
Factors that can increase the risk of auditory neuropathy for children include the following:
- A lack of oxygen before labor begins or during birth
- Liver conditions that result in jaundice (a yellow look to the skin)
- An abundance of bilirubin in the blood (bilirubin is a normal byproduct of red blood cell breakdown)
- Preterm or premature birth
- A low birth weight
- Other neurological disorders
Adult risk factors
For adults, risk factors that increase your likelihood of experiencing auditory neuropathy include:
- Auditory neuropathy and other hearing conditions that are passed on genetically
- Certain medications (specifically incorrect use of medications that can cause hearing issues)
- Certain infectious diseases, like mumps
- Immune diseases of various types
In general, it’s a good idea to limit these risks as much as you can. Scheduling regular screenings with us is a smart plan, especially if you do have risk factors.
How is auditory neuropathy diagnosed?
During a typical hearing examination, you’ll most likely be given a set of headphones and be asked 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 normally be done instead:
- 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, we will play an array of tones and clicks. Then your inner ear will be assessed to see how it responds. If the inner ear is an issue, this data will reveal it.
- Auditory brainstem response (ABR) test: Specialized electrodes will be connected to specific spots on your head and scalp with this test. This test isn’t painful or uncomfortable in any way so don’t be concerned. These electrodes measure your brainwaves, with particular attention to how those brainwaves respond to sound. The quality of your brainwave responses will help us identify 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 successfully diagnose and treat your auditory neuropathy.
Is there treatment for auditory neuropathy?
So, in the same way as you bring your car to the auto technician 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 manage this disorder.
- Hearing aids: Even with auditory neuropathy, in moderate cases, hearing aids can boost sound enough to allow you to hear better. Hearing aids will be a sufficient solution for some individuals. That said, this is not generally the case, because, once again, volume is almost never the problem. Due to this, hearing aids are frequently coupled with other therapy and treatment options.
- Cochlear implant: For some individuals, hearing aids will not be able to get around the problems. In these instances, a cochlear implant may be required. Signals from your inner ear are conveyed directly to your brain with this implant. They’re rather amazing! (And you can watch many YouTube videos of them working for patients.)
- Frequency modulation: Sometimes, amplification or reduction of specific frequencies can help you hear better. That’s what occurs with a technology known as frequency modulation. This approach often uses devices that are, basically, highly customized hearing aids.
- Communication skills training: In some situations, any and all of these treatments might be combined with communication skills exercises. This will let you work with whatever level of hearing you have to communicate better.
The sooner you get 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 normal hearing loss, it’s essential to get treatment as quickly as possible. You’ll be able to go back to hearing better and enjoying your life after you schedule an appointment and get treated. Children, who experience a lot of cognitive growth and development, particularly need to have their hearing treated as soon as possible.
