Sensorineural Deafness

What is Sensorineural Deafness?

Sensorineural deafness usually originates in the inner ear or the auditory centers of the brain or the vestibulocochlear nerve. The vestibulocochlear nerve is also known as the acoustic nerve and is the eighth cranial nerve. This nerve is important as it maintains the equilibrium and carries out sound signals and transmits it to the inner ear and into the auditory cortex of the brain. This nerve, along with the hair cells, transmits relevant information to your brain. So any damage to any of these can cause decreased or total hearing loss. Sensorineural deafness can be due to damage in the cranial nerve or an abnormality within the ear or the hair cells. Hearing impairment can also be due to an abnormality in the brain’s central auditory system.

Reduced hearing sensitivity…

Sensorineural deafness can also be due to certain factors like excessive exposure to very loud noises. This condition is very common to those who work on machineries with very loud sounds for a long period, thus causing them to have reduced hearing sensitivity. This may also occur to those people who listen to very loud music with their headphones on. Aside from that, it was believed that this condition also comes with the aging process or it can also be acquired through genes. Also, sensorineural deafness can be due to viral infections like mumps, influenza, rubella, cytomegalovirus and herpes simplex among others.

Vertigo and tinnitus…

Those people suffering from sensorineural deafness may also suffer from vertigo, tinnitus and reduced ability to hear sounds clearly. Also, babies who are suffering from congenital deafness may also present failure or reduced response to sounds. The treatment for such condition, for one, may involve the use of hearing aids or go through cochlear implants. Hearing aids are small electronic devices worn in the ear to amplify the sounds and transmit it to the ear. Cochlear implant, on the other hand, is a surgical procedure placed right behind the ear. This receives sound signals, amplify it and then transmit it to the cochlear nerve to stimulate it directly.

Suitable treatment…

There are other treatments available for sensorineural deafness. However, before any of these treatments are applied to you, it will be necessary to determine what causes your condition first. to better understand this, you should pay an ear specialist a visit to help you further understand this condition and determine the factors that might have cause it and determine the most suitable treatment available for you. Take note that you should not decide on any treatment, as some of these may only aggravate your condition.