Could Otosclerosis be Affecting Your Hearing?

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Could Otosclerosis be Affecting Your Hearing?

Otosclerosis is considered an abnormal

growth of the bones within the middle

ear. This bone prohibits the structures

in the ear from functioning properly

and in turn causes loss of hearing. For

people dealing with otosclerosis,

hearing loss can become profound.

How Does the Hearing Process

Work?

Hearing is actually a chain of events

that work together with the ear to transfer the sound waves into

an electrical signal, which in turn causes the impulses from the

nerves to be transmitted directly to the brain to allow them to be

interpreted into sound. There are three main components that

make up the ear: the middle, inner and outer ear. Sound waves

make their way into the outer ear and then head to the middle

ear, which is where they trigger vibrations within the eardrum.

The vibrations are then sent into the three miniscule bones

known as the ossicles. Those bones are known as the malleus,

stapes and incus.

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It is the responsibility of the ossicles

and the eardrum to transmit the vibrations through to the inner

ear. The stirrup then sends the vibrations to the window and

through to the fluid that consumes the inner ear. Those vibrations

then move the fluid into the part of the inner ear that is shaped

like a snail containing the hair cells. Cochlear fluid moves into the

upper part of the hair cells, which then signals the changes that

trigger the production of the impulses within the nerves. Those

impulses are then carried into the brain to be interpreted as

sound. Differences in sounds are able to stimulate the different

parts of your inner ear, thus allowing the brain to differentiate

between all of the various sounds. Consider the differences

between the ways a vowel sounds versus a consonant.

How Can Otosclerosis Trigger a Loss of Hearing?

There are multiple types of hearing loss that can be caused due

to otosclerosis, depending upon what structure is affected within

the ears. Generally, it affects the final bone within the chain,

which sits at the entrance into the window. The abnormality

within the bone forms a fixation of the stapes within the window

and causes an interference with any of the sound waves that are

passing into the inner ear.

It is normally a conductive loss of hearing when it comes to

otosclerosis, which is a loss of hearing within the outer ear or

middle ear.

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On a less frequent basis, it can lead to a sensorineural loss of

hearing, which is damage to the nerve fibers located within the

inner ear and the sensory cells. Conductive hearing loss is also

another problem that you may encounter.

What Are the Causes of Otosclerosis?

Research indicates that the condition occurs in families, or it can

be passed down from a parent to their child. However, the actual

cause of otosclerosis is not entirely understood. People with a

family history of the condition are at an increased chance of

developing the disorder than their counterparts who have no

connection with the condition. Generally, when you have one of

your parents with the condition there is a 25 percent chance that

you may develop the condition yourself. If you have two parents

who have the condition, your risk will double to half. Numerous

studies have shown that women who are white and middle-aged

are at the highest level of risk thus far.

There have also been studies that have connected otosclerosis

with all of the hormonal changes that women go through while

they are pregnant. Even though the exact cause of the condition

has not been diagnosed as of yet, there is a lot of evidence that

showcases the risk increasing amongst those with a viral

infection.

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Could Otosclerosis be Affecting Your Hearing?