Have you ever had your car break down in the middle of the highway? It’s not an enjoyable situation. Your car has to be safely pulled to the side of the road. Then you probably pop your hood and take a look at the engine. Who knows why?
Humorously, you still do this even though you have no knowledge of engines. Maybe you think there’ll be a convenient knob you can turn or something. Ultimately, a tow truck will need to be called.
And a picture of the problem only becomes apparent when experts diagnose it. That’s because cars are complicated, there are so many moving pieces and computerized software that the symptoms (your car that won’t move) are not enough to tell you what’s wrong.
With hearing loss, this same kind of thing can happen. The symptom itself doesn’t necessarily indicate what the underlying cause is. There’s the common culprit (noise-associated hearing loss), sure. But sometimes, something else like auditory neuropathy is the culprit.
What is auditory neuropathy?
When most individuals consider hearing loss, they think of loud concerts and jet engines, excessive noise that damages your ability to hear. This kind of hearing loss is called sensorineural hearing loss, and it’s somewhat more involved than simple noise damage.
But sometimes, long-term hearing loss can be caused by something other than noise damage. A condition called auditory neuropathy, while less common, can in some cases be the cause. This is a hearing condition in which your ear and inner ear collect sounds just fine, but for some reason, can’t fully convey those sounds to your brain.
Auditory neuropathy symptoms
The symptoms associated with auditory neuropathy are, at first glimpse, not all that distinct from those symptoms linked to traditional hearing loss. You can’t hear very well in noisy situations, you keep cranking up the volume on your television and other devices, that sort of thing. That’s why diagnosing auditory neuropathy can be so challenging.
However, auditory neuropathy does have a few unique properties that make it possible to diagnose. These presentations are pretty solid indicators that you aren’t confronting sensorineural hearing loss, but auditory neuropathy instead. Of course, nothing can replace getting an accurate diagnosis from us about your hearing loss.
The more distinctive symptoms of auditory neuropathy include:
- Sounds seem jumbled or confused: This is, once again, not a problem with volume. You can hear sounds but you simply can’t understand them. This can go beyond the speech and apply to all types of sounds around you.
- Sound fades in and out: The volume of sound seems to go up and down like somebody is playing with the volume knob. If you’re dealing with these symptoms it could be a case of auditory neuropathy.
- An inability to distinguish words: In some cases, the volume of a word is normal, but you just can’t understand what’s being said. Words are confused and muddled sounding.
Some causes of auditory neuropathy
The root causes of this condition can, in part, be explained by its symptoms. It may not be very clear why you have developed auditory neuropathy on a personal level. This condition can develop in both adults and children. And, broadly speaking, there are a couple of well described possible causes:
- The cilia that send signals to the brain can be damaged: Sound can’t be sent to your brain in full form once these little delicate hairs have been compromised in a specific way.
- Damage to the nerves: The hearing center of your brain receives sound from a specific nerve in your ear. If this nerve gets damaged, your brain can’t get the full signal, and consequently, the sounds it “interprets” will seem off. When this takes place, you may interpret sounds as jumbled, unclear, or too quiet to discern.
Risk factors of auditory neuropathy
No one is quite certain why some people will develop auditory neuropathy while others may not. That’s why there isn’t an exact science to preventing it. But you may be at a higher risk of developing auditory neuropathy if you show specific close connections.
Keep in mind that even if you have all of these risk factors you still may or may not experience auditory neuropathy. But you’re more statistically likely to experience auditory neuropathy the more risk factors you have.
Children’s risk factors
Here are a few risk factors that will raise the likelihood of auditory neuropathy in children:
- Preterm or premature birth
- A low birth weight
- A lack of oxygen before labor begins or during birth
- Other neurological disorders
- An abundance of bilirubin in the blood (bilirubin is a normal byproduct of red blood cell breakdown)
- Liver disorders that cause jaundice (a yellow appearance to the skin)
Adult risk factors
Here are some auditory neuropathy risk factors for adults:
- Mumps and other specific infectious diseases
- Family history of hearing disorders, including auditory neuropathy
- Immune disorders of various kinds
- Overuse of medications that cause hearing issues
Limiting the risks as much as you can is generally a good idea. If risk factors are present, it may be a good idea to schedule regular screenings with us.
Diagnosing auditory neuropathy
During a normal hearing examination, you’ll 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.
Rather, we will usually recommend one of two tests:
- Auditory brainstem response (ABR) test: Specialized electrodes will be fastened to specific spots on your scalp and head with this test. Again, don’t be concerned, there’s nothing painful or uncomfortable about this test. These electrodes track your brainwaves, with specific attention to how those brainwaves respond to sound. Whether you’re experiencing sensorineural hearing loss (outer ear) or auditory neuropathy (inner ear) will be established by the quality of your brainwaves.
- Otoacoustic emissions (OAE) test: This diagnostic is designed to determine how well your inner ear and cochlea react to sound stimuli. We will put a small microphone just inside your ear canal. Then a series of tones and clicks will be played. Then your inner ear will be measured to see how it reacts. The data will help determine whether the inner ear is the problem.
Diagnosing your auditory neuropathy will be much more successful once we run the applicable tests.
Is there treatment for auditory neuropathy?
So, just like you bring your car to the auto technician to get it fixed, you can bring your ears to us for treatment! auditory neuropathy generally has no cure. But there are several ways to manage this disorder.
- Hearing aids: Even if you have auditory neuropathy, in milder cases, hearing aids can amplify sound enough to enable you to hear better. Hearing aids will be an adequate solution for some individuals. That said, this is not typically the case, because, once again, volume is almost never the problem. Hearing aids are often used in conjunction with other treatments because of this.
- Cochlear implant: For some people, hearing aids will not be able to get around the issues. In these cases, a cochlear implant may be needed. Signals from your inner ear are transmitted directly to your brain with this implant. The internet has plenty of videos of people having success with these amazing devices!
- Frequency modulation: In some cases, amplification or diminution of specific frequencies can help you hear better. That’s what happens with a technology called frequency modulation. This approach often makes use of devices that are, essentially, highly customized hearing aids.
- Communication skills training: Communication skills exercises can be combined 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 get treatment, the better
As with any hearing condition, timely treatment can lead to better outcomes.
So if you suspect you have auditory neuropathy, or even just ordinary hearing loss, it’s important to get treatment as soon 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.
