Hearing Disorders and Deafness Also called: Hearing loss, Presbycusis Summary It’s frustrating to be unable to hear well enough to enjoy talking with friends or family. Hearing disorders make it hard, but not impossible, to hear. They can often be helped. Deafness can keep you from hearing sound at all. What causes hearing loss? Some possibilities are Heredity Diseases such as ear infections and meningitis Trauma Certain medicines Long-term exposure to loud noise Aging There are two main types of hearing loss. One happens when your inner ear or auditory nerve is damaged. This type is usually permanent. The other kind happens when sound waves cannot reach your inner ear. Earwax build-up, fluid, or a punctured eardrum can cause it. Treatment or surgery can often reverse this kind of hearing loss. Untreated, hearing problems can get worse. If you have trouble hearing, you can get help. Possible treatments include hearing aids, cochlear implants, special training, certain medicines, and surgery. NIH: National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders NIH MedlinePlus Magazine 10 Ways to Identify Hearing Loss 10 Ways to Identify Hearing Loss Anatomy of the Human Ear/Questions to Ask Your Hearing Professional Drug Induced Hearing Loss: Researchers Study Strategies to Preserve Hearing Drug Induced Hearing Loss: What Is Ototoxicity? Focus on Communication: NIH Research to Results Hearing Loss: Symptoms, Diagnosis & Treatment High Price of Noise Exposure How Loud Is Too Loud? Living with Hearing Loss Managing Hearing Loss Reference Desk About Hearing Gallaudet University, Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center NIDCD Glossary National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders Array Acoustic trauma Age-related hearing loss Audiometry Ear examination Hearing and the cochlea Hearing Loss National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders Hearing loss Occupational hearing loss Otosclerosis Sensorineural deafness Seniors Age-Related Hearing Loss National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders Eldercare at Home: Hearing Problems AGS Foundation for Health in Aging Hearing Loss National Institute on Aging Hearing Loss and Older Adults National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders Encyclopedia Aging changes in the senses Alport syndrome BAER – brainstem auditory evoked response Caloric stimulation Hearing loss and music Living with hearing loss Talking to someone with hearing loss Waardenburg syndrome Specifics Alport Syndrome National Kidney Foundation Auditory Neuropathy National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders Auditory Processing Disorders American Academy of Audiology Autoimmune Inner Ear Disease American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery Hyperacusis: An Increased Sensitivity to Everyday Sounds American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery Noise-Induced Hearing Loss National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders Otosclerosis National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders Ototoxic Medications (Medication Effects) American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Perforated Eardrum American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery Sudden Deafness National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders Vestibular Schwannoma (Acoustic Neuroma) and Neurofibromatosis National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders Related Issues American Sign Language National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders Earbuds Nemours Foundation Earwax and Care American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery Earwax Blockage Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research Speech-to-Speech Relay Service Federal Communications Commission Find an Expert American Speech-Language-Hearing Association American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Directory of Organizations (Deafness and Communication Disorders) National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders Find an Audiologist American Academy of Audiology National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders Videos and Tutorials Bone Anchored Hearing Treatment Procedure OR-Live How Loud Is Too Loud? National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders Protecting Your Hearing National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders Travel Inside the Ear National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders Clinical Trials ClinicalTrials.gov: Deafness National Institutes of Health ClinicalTrials.gov: Hearing Disorders National Institutes of Health ClinicalTrials.gov: Presbycusis National Institutes of Health Health Check Tools Do You Need a Hearing Test? National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders Genetics Genes and Hearing Loss American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery Genetics Home Reference: 3MC syndrome National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: Alström syndrome National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: Bart-Pumphrey syndrome National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: Björnstad syndrome National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: branchiootorenal/branchiootic syndrome National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: congenital deafness with labyrinthine aplasia, microtia, and microdontia National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: craniofacial-deafness-hand syndrome National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: craniometaphyseal dysplasia National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: deafness-dystonia-optic neuronopathy syndrome National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: DOORS syndrome National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathy type IE National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: hystrix-like ichthyosis with deafness National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: Jervell and Lange-Nielsen syndrome National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: keratitis-ichthyosis-deafness syndrome National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: Larsen syndrome National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: MYH9-related disorder National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: Myhre syndrome National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: nonsyndromic hearing loss National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: otospondylomegaepiphyseal dysplasia National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: palmoplantar keratoderma with deafness National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: Pendred syndrome National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: Perrault syndrome National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: renal tubular acidosis with deafness National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: sensorineural deafness and male infertility National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: SOST-related sclerosing bone dysplasia National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: Stickler syndrome National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: Tietz syndrome National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: Townes-Brocks Syndrome National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: Usher syndrome National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: Vohwinkel syndrome National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: Waardenburg syndrome National Library of Medicine Genetics Home Reference: Weissenbacher-Zweymüller syndrome National Library of Medicine Living With Hearing Assistive Technology American Speech-Language-Hearing Association MedlinePlus: Assistive Devices National Library of Medicine MedlinePlus: Hearing Aids National Library of Medicine Start Here Hearing Loss Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research Hearing, Ear Infections, and Deafness National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders Types of Hearing Loss American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Diagnosis and Tests Hearing Loss Signals Need for Diagnosis Food and Drug Administration Hearing Problems American Academy of Family Physicians Inquiring Ears Want to Know: A Fact Sheet about Your Hearing Test National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Prevention and Risk Factors Noise and Hearing Loss Prevention Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Noise and Hearing Protection American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery Journal Articles Hearing Disorders and Deafness Statistics and Research Quick Statistics National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders Treatments and Therapies Steroid Treatments Equally Effective Against Sudden Deafness National Institutes of Health Latest News 1 in 8 U.S. Workers Has Some Hearing Loss: CDC HealthDay Earplugs Help Prevent Hearing Loss Tied to Loud Concerts HealthDay Hearing Loss Tied to Bigger Medical Bills for Late Middle-Aged HealthDay
