​Causes of Hearing Loss

Common Causes of Hearing Loss

The most obvious cause of hearing loss is Mother Nature. Each of us at conception is programmed with DNA that has the code that determines if, and when we will naturally develop hearing loss.

Whereas loss of vision (presbyopia) begins in the early 40's, hereditary hearing loss (prebycusis), usually begins later, in the 50's, and up.

You may have a hereditary hearing loss even if your parents, for siblings do not. Our DNA coding can cover as many as seven generations. If you have a hearing loss, unrelated to disease, or illness, someone in your lineage also had hearing loss.

In general, infants, toddlers, and children develop hearing loss due to either acute, or chronic middle ear infections.

With the advent of modern antibiotics, and the insertion of ventilating tubes, the condition is relatively easy to treat.​

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Untreated middle ear fluid, otitis media, can lead to a ruptured eardrum, or chronic infections such as mastoid disease, or cholesteotoma, a skin cyst in the middle ear, or mastoid.

The next major cause of hearing loss is loss due to noise exposure. This topic is dealt with throughout the text of this site.

In adults, there are a large variety of causes: diabetic neuropathy, high blood cholesterol levels, cardiac conditions, blood pressure problems, and 
central nervous system disorders. In addition, chemo therapeutic agents, and certain classes of antibiotics can produce hearing loss.

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