What causes hearing loss?

Causes of Sensorineural hearing loss

  • Ageing
  • Noise exposure
  • Diseases such as meningitis and Meniere’s disease
  • Viral infections like measles and mumps
  • Ototoxic drugs
  • Head injuries
  • Genetic hearing loss
  • Pregnancy/birth complications

Causes of Conductive hearing loss

  • Blockage of ear canal due to wax or a foreign object
  • Middle ear infection often referred to as “glue ear”
  • Outer ear infection
  • Perforated ear drum
  • Partial or complete closure of the ear canal

Causes of
Mixed hearing loss

  • An example of a mixed hearing loss is a conductive loss due to perforated ear drum combined with a sensorineural loss due to damage associated with noise exposure.