What is ALHL?
ALHL: acute low-tone sensorineural hearing loss.
What causes low frequency sensorineural hearing loss?
Sensorineural low-frequency hearing loss is caused by damage to the hair cells, your cochlea, or your auditory nerve. 3 Conductive low-frequency hearing loss is caused by a problem within your middle ear.
How long does it take to recover from sensorineural hearing loss?
People with SSHL often experience dizziness or a ringing in their ears (tinnitus), or both. Some patients recover completely without medical intervention, often within the first 3 days. This is called a spontaneous recovery. Others get better slowly over a 1 or 2 week period.
Can sensorineural hearing loss be misdiagnosed?
Sudden sensorineural hearing loss is often misdiagnosed in large part because the symptoms are very similar to those found in more common conditions and include excess wax buildup, congestion, dizziness and a ringing in the ears called tinnitus.
How do you fix sensorineural hearing loss?
SNHL can be treated with the use of conventional hearing aids or an implantable hearing device. Again, your ENT specialist and/or audiologist can help you decide which device may work best for you depending on your hearing test results and your lifestyle.
What can’t you hear with low-frequency hearing loss?
Low-frequency hearing loss means difficulty hearing low-pitch sounds. People with this condition typically have a more difficult time hearing men’s voices than women’s and children’s. They may have an especially difficult time distinguishing between vowel sounds, which are lower in pitch than consonants.
What is the prognosis for someone with sensorineural hearing loss?
Sensorineural hearing loss prognosis SNHL is the most common type of permanent hearing loss. In cases of sudden SSHL, the Hearing Loss Association of America says that 85 percent of people will experience at least a partial recovery if they’re treated by an ear, nose, and throat doctor.
How do you deal with sensorineural hearing loss?
Ways to Cope With Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss
- Educational and supportive counseling.
- Hearing aids or other assistive devices.
- Tinnitus treatment.
- Mental and emotional support resources.
Does sudden sensorineural hearing loss get worse over time?
And while SSHL does occasionally go away on its own after a few days or the symptoms gradually improve over time, for some people the condition will only grow worse the longer it is untreated.
How do you test for sensorineural hearing loss?
Weber’s test is performed by softly striking a 512-Hz tuning fork and placing it midline on the patient’s scalp, or on the forehead, nasal bones, or teeth. If the hearing loss is conductive, the sound will be heard best in the affected ear. If the loss is sensorineural, the sound will be heard best in the normal ear.