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Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Symptoms

Causes

Diagnosis

Treatment

Conductive hearing loss happens when something blocks sound from getting to your inner ear.

Hearing loss affects over 30 million adults in the United States, and it can vary in severity. Some people may not even realize they have hearing loss.Conductive hearing loss only accounts for a portion of all hearing loss. While not all forms of hearing loss can be reversed, conductive hearing loss is sometimes treatable.

This article will take a closer look at conductive hearing loss and examine its causes, diagnosis, and treatment.

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Man gets ear checked for causes of conductive hearing loss

Conductive Hearing Loss Symptoms

You can have different degrees of conductive hearing loss, including mild, moderate, severe, or profound. Hearing loss can also occur in one or both ears.

You might have conductive hearing loss if you:

According to one 2020 study, conductive hearing loss may also negatively impact balance.

Other Types of Hearing LossConductive hearing loss is just one type of hearing loss. Hearing loss can also be sensorineural, which is usually a permanent form of hearing loss. It can happen when there’s damage to your auditory nerve,cochlea(a fluid-filled bone in the inner ear that plays an important role in hearing), or brain stem.You can also experience mixed hearing loss, which is when a person has conductive and sensorineural hearing loss simultaneously.There’s no way to tell which kind of hearing loss you have without getting an exam from a medical professional.

Other Types of Hearing Loss

Conductive hearing loss is just one type of hearing loss. Hearing loss can also be sensorineural, which is usually a permanent form of hearing loss. It can happen when there’s damage to your auditory nerve,cochlea(a fluid-filled bone in the inner ear that plays an important role in hearing), or brain stem.You can also experience mixed hearing loss, which is when a person has conductive and sensorineural hearing loss simultaneously.There’s no way to tell which kind of hearing loss you have without getting an exam from a medical professional.

Conductive hearing loss is just one type of hearing loss. Hearing loss can also be sensorineural, which is usually a permanent form of hearing loss. It can happen when there’s damage to your auditory nerve,cochlea(a fluid-filled bone in the inner ear that plays an important role in hearing), or brain stem.

You can also experience mixed hearing loss, which is when a person has conductive and sensorineural hearing loss simultaneously.

There’s no way to tell which kind of hearing loss you have without getting an exam from a medical professional.

Conductive hearing loss can have various potential causes, including:

Conductive Hearing Loss in Children

An in-person hearing exam is a crucial part of diagnosing conductive hearing loss.

A hearing professional will perform tests to evaluate your hearing, which may include:

Your healthcare provider will also check your ear canal for potential physical issues causing your hearing loss, like:

Healthcare providers may request imaging tests, such as acomputed tomography (CT) scanormagnetic resonance imaging (MRI), to help make a diagnosis.

Sudden Hearing LossSudden sensorineural hearing loss(which is not a type of conductive hearing loss) is a medical emergency that requires immediate attention. Leaving sudden hearing loss untreated can result in permanent hearing loss. The sooner you seek treatment, the better your chances are of preserving your hearing.What might be causing sudden deafness? A few possible causes include:Traumatic injury to the head or eardrumMedication-induced deafnessNeurological conditionsAutoimmune processesInner ear disordersInfection

Sudden Hearing Loss

Sudden sensorineural hearing loss(which is not a type of conductive hearing loss) is a medical emergency that requires immediate attention. Leaving sudden hearing loss untreated can result in permanent hearing loss. The sooner you seek treatment, the better your chances are of preserving your hearing.What might be causing sudden deafness? A few possible causes include:Traumatic injury to the head or eardrumMedication-induced deafnessNeurological conditionsAutoimmune processesInner ear disordersInfection

Sudden sensorineural hearing loss(which is not a type of conductive hearing loss) is a medical emergency that requires immediate attention. Leaving sudden hearing loss untreated can result in permanent hearing loss. The sooner you seek treatment, the better your chances are of preserving your hearing.

What might be causing sudden deafness? A few possible causes include:

Treatment for conductive hearing loss will depend on the cause and may include:

Summary

Conductive hearing loss happens when sound can’t get to your inner ear. This can happen for many reasons, including ear wax impaction or malformations in the ear canal.

Most cases of conductive hearing loss are treatable. Depending on the cause of your hearing loss, your healthcare provider may recommend medication, hearing aids or other hearing devices, or surgery.

A Word From Verywell

It’s important to get regular hearing exams and see an ear, nose, and throat specialist (ENT, also called an otolaryngologist) or hearing professional, especially if you think you have some degree of hearing loss. Without the help of a qualified expert, it’s impossible to tell on your own what might be causing your hearing difficulties.

Since some causes of hearing loss, including conductive hearing loss, are treatable, getting the proper diagnosis can help limit or reverse hearing loss.

7 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Michels TC, Duffy MT, Rogers DJ.Hearing loss in adults: differential diagnosis and treatment.Am Fam Physician. 2019;100(2):98-108.American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery Foundation.Conductive hearing loss.Horowitz G, Ungar OJ, Levit Y, Himmelfarb M, Handzel O.The impact of conductive hearing loss on balance.Clin Otolaryngol. 2020;45(1):106-110. doi:10.1111/coa.13473Johns Hopkins Medicine.Types of hearing loss.Dougherty W, Kesser BW.Management of conductive hearing loss in children.Otolaryngol Clin North Am. 2015;48(6):955-74. doi:10.1016/j.otc.2015.06.007National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.Sudden deafness.Hearing Loss Association of America.Types, causes and treatment.

7 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Michels TC, Duffy MT, Rogers DJ.Hearing loss in adults: differential diagnosis and treatment.Am Fam Physician. 2019;100(2):98-108.American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery Foundation.Conductive hearing loss.Horowitz G, Ungar OJ, Levit Y, Himmelfarb M, Handzel O.The impact of conductive hearing loss on balance.Clin Otolaryngol. 2020;45(1):106-110. doi:10.1111/coa.13473Johns Hopkins Medicine.Types of hearing loss.Dougherty W, Kesser BW.Management of conductive hearing loss in children.Otolaryngol Clin North Am. 2015;48(6):955-74. doi:10.1016/j.otc.2015.06.007National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.Sudden deafness.Hearing Loss Association of America.Types, causes and treatment.

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Michels TC, Duffy MT, Rogers DJ.Hearing loss in adults: differential diagnosis and treatment.Am Fam Physician. 2019;100(2):98-108.American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery Foundation.Conductive hearing loss.Horowitz G, Ungar OJ, Levit Y, Himmelfarb M, Handzel O.The impact of conductive hearing loss on balance.Clin Otolaryngol. 2020;45(1):106-110. doi:10.1111/coa.13473Johns Hopkins Medicine.Types of hearing loss.Dougherty W, Kesser BW.Management of conductive hearing loss in children.Otolaryngol Clin North Am. 2015;48(6):955-74. doi:10.1016/j.otc.2015.06.007National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.Sudden deafness.Hearing Loss Association of America.Types, causes and treatment.

Michels TC, Duffy MT, Rogers DJ.Hearing loss in adults: differential diagnosis and treatment.Am Fam Physician. 2019;100(2):98-108.

American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery Foundation.Conductive hearing loss.

Horowitz G, Ungar OJ, Levit Y, Himmelfarb M, Handzel O.The impact of conductive hearing loss on balance.Clin Otolaryngol. 2020;45(1):106-110. doi:10.1111/coa.13473

Johns Hopkins Medicine.Types of hearing loss.

Dougherty W, Kesser BW.Management of conductive hearing loss in children.Otolaryngol Clin North Am. 2015;48(6):955-74. doi:10.1016/j.otc.2015.06.007

National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.Sudden deafness.

Hearing Loss Association of America.Types, causes and treatment.

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