Sensorineural hearing loss is hearing loss caused by damage or dysfunction involving the inner ear‘s sensory structures or the auditory nerve and related neural pathways that carry and process hearing information.
A common cause is damage to the sensory hair cells within the cochlea. These cells convert mechanical vibrations into electrical signals that travel through the auditory nerve toward the brain. When they or other parts of the auditory system are damaged, a person’s ability to detect sounds or interpret them clearly may be reduced.
Causes include ageing, prolonged exposure to loud sound, certain medications that can damage the auditory system, infections, genetic factors, and some medical conditions. Sensorineural hearing loss may affect one or both ears and can make speech difficult to understand, particularly in noisy environments. It may also occur alongside tinnitus.
Unlike conductive hearing loss, which results from impaired sound transmission through the outer or middle ear, sensorineural hearing loss involves the sensory or neural components of hearing. In many cases, it cannot be reversed by treating the original cause alone, although appropriate treatment and hearing rehabilitation may improve communication and everyday functioning.
QUICK FACT
Hearing assessments commonly compare air-conduction and bone-conduction hearing thresholds. In sensorineural hearing loss, both thresholds are generally reduced to a similar degree at affected frequencies, without a significant air–bone gap. This pattern helps distinguish it from conductive hearing loss, although diagnosis requires interpretation of the complete hearing assessment.
COMMONLY CONFUSED WITH
- Conductive hearing loss: Hearing loss caused by impaired transmission of sound through the outer or middle ear, such as from earwax blockage, middle-ear fluid, or problems affecting the eardrum or ossicles.
- Mixed hearing loss: Hearing loss involving both a conductive component and a sensorineural component.
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