A combination of the two
Mixed hearing loss refers to a combination of conductive and sensorineural hearing loss in one or both ears. This means there is damage to both the outer or middle ear (conductive) and the inner ear or auditory nerve (sensorineural). It can result in difficulty hearing both loud sounds, such as fireworks and police sirens, as well as soft sounds, such as whispering and leaves rustling.
Mixed hearing loss often requires a combination of medical and hearing aid treatment.
The illustration below indicates which parts of the ear may be affected when dealing with conductive and sensorineural hearing loss. A combination of the two would indicate a mixed hearing loss.
What's causing the problem?
Pinpointing the cause of mixed hearing loss can be tricky. After all, you’re dealing with two types of hearing loss and, as a result, multiple causes.
Causes of the conductive hearing loss can include blockages, such as earwax build-up or foreign objects, benign tumors, infections or fluid build-up in the middle ear. Common causes of sensorineural hearing loss include loud noise, damage to the hair cells in the inner ear, age, genetics, head trauma, and ototoxic medications.
Recognizing mixed hearing loss
If you are living with mixed hearing loss, you’ll likely have trouble hearing everyday sounds, especially quieter ones. You may experience this in one or both ears.
Since mixed hearing loss is a combination of two issues, you may also experience several of the following symptoms as well:
- Pressure, discomfort or pain in the ear
- Ringing in the ear (tinnitus)
- Sudden loss of hearing
- Drainage from the ear
- Muffled hearing
- Difficulty hearing speech in crowded places
- Dizziness or balance issues
Decoding your hearing screening results
Since mixed hearing loss is the result of both a sensorineural and conductive hearing loss, both of these will be present on an audiogram.
To determine this, the air conduction threshold and bone conduction threshold need to be tested. If a hearing loss is indicated through bone conduction and an air-bone gap (a space between the air and bone conduction threshold) is also present, the audiogram indicates a mixed hearing loss.
The audiogram below demonstrates what a mixed hearing loss may look like. The red line with the O shows the right ear and the blue one with the X shows the left ear. The < > symbols indicate the bone conduction threshold.
Good hearing begins with good health
Protect your ears from loud noises
Loud noises, such as concerts, loud music, and industrial or construction noise, can damage your hearing over time. To reduce your risk, it's important to limit exposure to loud noises and wear protective gear, such as earplugs, when necessary.
Maintain a healthy lifestyle
Good health practices, such as not smoking, avoiding certain medications that are known to damage hearing, and managing conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes, can help protect your hearing.Get regular hearing check-ups
Regular hearing screenings can detect hearing loss early on, allowing for prompt treatment and reducing the risk of further damage. It's recommended to schedule a regular hearing screening with your Hearing Care Professional to ensure your hearing is in good health.
Check your hearing consistently
Mixed hearing loss calls for mixed treatment. The causes of your conductive hearing loss may be treatable through medical or surgical intervention, while your sensorineural hearing loss can often be treated with hearing aids. And, with the extreme advances in technology today, treatment is just around the corner.
Take the first step to healthy hearing by having your hearing checked by one of our Hearing Care Professionals for free.
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