Hearing is one of the five external senses that helps a person better perceive the world around him. Sometimes, under the influence of certain factors, it worsens or disappears altogether. Hearing impairment may be one of the symptoms of sensorineural hearing loss. We will talk about the symptoms and treatment of this disease in today's article.
Medical certificate
Cochlear neuritis is a disease of the inner ear caused by damage to the auditory nerve. The second name of the disease is sensorineural hearing loss. It is characterized by a violation of the perception of sounds due to pathology of the hearing aid. As it progresses, the lower auditory threshold rises, due to which total hearing loss is not ruled out. Hearing loss often leads to a disability group.
It is prevalent mainly among older people. However, in recent years, such a diagnosis is increasingly heard by patients of working age. The reason for this is the urbanization of the population and the constant noise load accompanying people at work and at home.
A person may already be born with this pathology or begin to lose hearing in adulthood. Depending on the form of the disease, its causes also vary.
Congenital hearing impairment
Mutations in the genome are considered the main cause of the congenital form of sensorineural hearing loss. Scientists have discovered several genes that are responsible for hearing loss. In addition, the pathology can be hereditary. It is diagnosed in each new generation or observed after 1-2 generations.
In the etiology of the disease, a certain role can be played by the underdevelopment of the elements of the cochlea in a child. The inner ear along with the fibers of the auditory nerve are formed in the fetus in the III trimester of pregnancy. These structures are especially sensitive at this stage to external and internal influences. An unbalanced diet, frequent stresses and poor ecology can provoke disturbances in the formation of hearing organs in a child.
Preterm birth increases the risk of hearing loss in the newborn to 5%. If during pregnancy a woman has had rubella, the baby will probably be born with a pathology of the auditory analyzer. Therefore, even at the planning stage, future mothers are recommended vaccination against this virus.
Acquired form of the disease
Cases of congenital sensorineural hearing loss are rare. As a rule, a disease develops in a person as he grows older. It can occur suddenly or gradually.
Doctors call acoustic trauma one of the causes of hearing loss . It is commonly understood by it as the continuous exposure of a person to noise with a power exceeding 90 dB. It is easy to get such an injury while being near the speakers at a concert, working with an increased sound background.
The most common cause of the acquired form of the disease is the use of various medications. Antibiotics, diuretics and drugs based on acetylsalicylic acid are negatively reflected on the hearing aid. To avoid health problems, all medications must be taken as prescribed by the doctor and at the recommended dosage.
Deterioration in the perception of sounds is often a consequence of past illnesses. These include mumps, measles, rubella, syphilis and herpes. Purulent processes that accompany most of these ailments are often localized in the area of auditory analyzers. In the case of the progression of the pathology, inflammation can spread to the cochlear area, provoking sensorineural hearing loss. In order to avoid such complications, doctors advise timely and competent treatment of all diseases, periodically engage in their prevention.
Clinical picture
To prevent the development of the disease, you need to know its initial signs. Symptoms of sensorineural hearing loss can vary depending on the individual characteristics of the body. The onset of the pathological process is always accompanied by a decrease in hearing and the appearance in the ears of various noises (for example, whistling or ringing). The rest of the clinical picture depends on the form of the disease. There are four of them: sudden, acute, progressive and chronic.
The first is considered the most favorable. It develops during the day due to an infectious disease of a viral or bacterial etiology. Against the background of full health, an instant hearing loss is observed.
Acute cochlear neuritis develops sequentially and lasts no more than a month. Patients first complain of a feeling of stuffiness in the ear, which periodically disappears. Subsequently, hearing loss becomes permanent. The acute version of the disease can turn into a chronic one.
The progressive form is characterized by further hearing impairment amid the already present hearing loss. As a result, the pathology ends with complete deafness. For chronic hearing loss, a prolonged course is characteristic. Stages of intense seizures smoothly alternate with stages of remission. Over time, periods of exacerbation become longer.
Sometimes the clinical picture is supplemented by vestibular disorders. These include loss of balance and nausea, dizziness. These symptoms usually worsen with a turn of the head or a sharp change in body position.
Depending on the location of the pathology, it can be one-sided or two-sided. In the first case, the symptoms of the disease appear only in one ear, and in the second - simultaneously in two. The intensity of the lesion may vary. With bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, the emotional color of the patient's speech disappears. Such people are uncommunicative and socially disoriented.
Diagnostic Methods
In case of hearing loss and the appearance of extraneous noise in the ears, you should consult an otolaryngologist for help. Initially, the specialist listens to the patient’s complaints and can ask a number of clarifying questions: when did the symptoms of the disorder appear, what diseases preceded him, etc.
Sensorineural hearing loss is not manifested by violations of the integrity of the ear and its key structures. Therefore, to confirm the preliminary diagnosis, the following examination methods are used:
- Impedanceometry
- Tuning fork research.
- Determining the state of the vestibular analyzer.
- Finger-to-finger test.
Additionally, the patient is prescribed audiometry. This is the most informative diagnostic method with which you can determine the degree of sensorineural hearing loss. The threshold of audibility - the minimum intensity of sound that the ear picks up, determines the 4 stages of the development of the disease. The hearing threshold of a healthy person varies between 20-25 dB.
Sensory hearing loss of 1 degree is characterized by a slight decrease in hearing. The auditory threshold is 40 dB. In the absence of extraneous sounds, a person hears well at a distance of several meters. However, in a noisy room, he barely distinguishes the conversations of people standing nearby. The danger of this degree of disease is that a person does not notice hearing impairment. Therefore, he does not go to the doctor, although pathology at the initial stage lends itself well to drug therapy.
For hearing loss of the 2nd degree, the hearing threshold is already 55 dB. Patients are not able to hear a whisper at a distance of a meter. The third degree is recognized as a severe form of pathology. The auditory threshold in this case is 70 dB. Deafness of 4 degrees often develops into deafness. The auditory threshold exceeds 70 dB. It is difficult for the patient to perceive even loud sounds.
Treatment principles
After confirming the diagnosis and determining the cause of the disease, the doctor selects therapy for the patient. It is individual for each patient. However, there are general recommendations, which are very important to observe:
- complete cessation of smoking and drinking;
- compliance with bed rest;
- change in the usual diet towards proper nutrition.
Sensory hearing loss treatment is carried out only in a hospital. Trying to overcome the disease on your own is not recommended, since in this case you can only harm your health. Depending on the form of the pathology and its stage, the therapy will be of a medicinal or surgical nature. Each method of influencing the problem is described in detail below.
Drug use
Acute sensorineural hearing loss responds well to drug treatment. The choice of specific drugs depends on the cause of the pathology. For example, in the case of an infectious etiology of the disease, antibacterial and antiviral agents are prescribed (Interferon, Remantadin).
If the exact cause of the disease cannot be identified, it is considered as hearing loss of vascular origin. Therefore, drugs that improve blood supply to the inner ear and normalize the rheological properties of blood are used for treatment. For this purpose, the following medicines have proven themselves well: “Vinpocetine”, “Cerebrolysin”, “Piracetam”. The course of treatment is usually from 10 to 14 days. Drugs are usually prescribed in high doses intramuscularly or intravenously.
To reduce inflammation in the affected area, hormonal agents are used. To eliminate puffiness, diuretics are prescribed. In addition to the main course of therapy, drugs are always prescribed to reduce the body's resistance to disease. This group includes vitamins B and E, various trace elements.
Features of physiotherapy
With a mild degree of hearing loss and in addition to drug therapy, the following physiotherapy procedures are used:
- acupuncture;
- acupuncture;
- magnetotherapy;
- phonoelectrophoresis.
Physiotherapy is not an independent treatment method, but helps the patient cope with unpleasant manifestations of pathology.
Hearing aid
Specific treatment of a chronic form of hearing loss, as a rule, does not make sense. Irreversible destructive processes in the inner ear cannot be stopped with medication. Therefore, patients are recommended surgical intervention. We are talking about a hearing replacement surgery.
It implies the implantation of a cochlear device, which is designed to perform all the functions of a healthy ear. The mechanism of its action is to transmit sound signals to neurons. Such a device is equipped with a microphone and a receiver.
Prosthetics can be one-sided or two-sided. If the patient has a disability for hearing loss, such an apparatus can be obtained for free.
Prognosis for recovery
According to reviews, sensorineural hearing loss has a favorable prognosis for recovery if treatment is started at the initial stages of development. Hearing loss in old age is difficult to treat. Therefore, such patients are shown hearing replacement.