Hearing impairment overview

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Overview

A hearing impairment or hearing loss is a full or partial decrease in the ability to detect or understand sounds. Caused by a wide range of biological and environmental factors, loss of hearing can happen to any organism that perceives sound.

• Hearing loss is categorized as a conductive and sensorineural
• Conductive hearing loss is caused by any process that prevents sound from reaching the inner ear.
• Sensorineural hearing loss is due to nerve-type loss in either the inner ear or the auditory nerve

See also:

Hearing loss with craniofacial syndromes

Conductive hearing loss

Sensorineural hearing loss

Central hearing loss

Profound hearing loss

Unilateral hearing loss

Noise-induced hearing loss

Congenital hearing loss