hearing disorders

conductive HL

* otitis externa
* cerumen impaction
* otitis media
* trauma
* foreign object

otitis externa

“swimmer’s ear”

resulting from leftover water staying in the ear canal, providing a moist environment for bacteria to grow

* moisture, trauma, eczema, psoriasis

treatment: antibiotics, topicals, and debridements

cerumen impaction

buildup of earwax in the ear

can cause hearing loss, dizziness, tinnitus, irritation, and pain

caused by q tips, earplugs, headphones

trauma

perforation of the TM

otitis media

middle ear

inflamed ET can lead to an inability to equalize pressure in the middle ear. the negative pressure may draw out liquid from the cells, which creates a breeding ground for bacteria

if untreated, TM can burst

recurring OM can cause developmental delays regarding language and speech

treatment: pressure equalization tubes to drain fluid+ equalize pressure (performed by ENT)

congenital microtia

* born with a deformed or lack of pinna
* can be remedied by prosthetics being placed under the skin to mimic pinna
* can occur with syndromes, 1 in 10k-20k births
* usually unilateral

sensorineural HL

* damage to any part of cochlea or connection between cochlea and the auditory nerve
* congenital vs acquired
* congenital: Waardenburg’s syndrome, Usher syndrome, CMV (cytomegalovirus), rubella
* acquired: presbycusis, noise-induced, ototoxicity, acoustic neuroma

Waardenburg’s syndrome

characterized by heterochromia, pigmentation anomalies

varying degrees of HLu

usher’s syndrome

vision loss, hearing loss, vestibular dysfunction

TORCH

* toxoplasmosis
* ototoxicity
* rubella (motherly)
* cytomegalovirus
* herpes simplex virus

cytomegalovirus

* most common TORCH infection
* 1 in 200 infants
* mothers are asymptomatic
* once infected, virus remains dormant and can be reactivated
* early or late-onset sensorineural hearing loss

acquired SNHL

* presbycusis
* ototoxicity
* noise-induced

noise-induced

2nd most common type of hearing loss

military

continuous exposure to loud noises for extended periods may produce a temporary or permanent threshold shift

* temporary: recovered after 16-22 hours
* permanent: not recovered

acoustic trauma

permanent hearing loss due to one brief, very intense sound

temporary threshold shift (TTS)

* recovered after 16-22 hours
* constant noise causes this shift more than intermittent noises
* can be a result of jobs

sound is measured through a

dosimeter in dB

there are acceptable standards for recommended permissible exposure

presbycusis

age-induced

typically bilateral

early to late 60s

normal low frequencies, sensorineural hearing loss in higher frequencies

ototoxicity

damage from drugs that typically treat other conditions like cancer

cochleotoxic, vestibulotoxic, both

sensorineural hearing loss, dizziness, tinnitus

acoustic neuroma

benign tumor that grows by the CNVIII, creating a sense of aural fullness, dizziness, hearing loss, and gradual SNHL

mixed hearing loss

can have more than one cause

for ex: congenital + acquired

balance disorders

Meniere’s disease

BPPV (benign paroxysmal positional vertigo)

meniere’s disease

* long and extreme bouts of vertigo (dizziness)
* fluctuation in SNHL (bad days = bad hearing loss, good days = no hearing loss)
* aural fullness
* tinnitus

BPPV

benign paroxysmal positional vertigo

* one of the most common causes of vertigo
* displaced otoconia!! head is generally moved around to put otoconia back itno its place
* sensation that you or your head is spinning