Can Infection Cause Permanent Hearing Loss?

Yeditepe University Hospitals Otolaryngologists, who drew attention to the causes of hearing loss that occurs with the decrease or complete disappearance of hearing perception, warned that untreated infections can cause permanent hearing loss. 
Expressing that hearing loss is seen in two ways, specialists stated that hearing loss requires an approach according to the region and cause by saying, “Conductive hearing loss concerns the external auditory canal, middle ear, and ossicles in the middle ear. Sensorineural hearing loss occurs in the inner ear.”

Cochlear Implant Is Applied in Advanced Hearing Loss

Yeditepe University Otolaryngologists gave the following information about the causes of hearing loss:
“Causes such as infections in the external ear canal, ear wax, and bone formation called exostosis to play an active role in conductive hearing loss. However, this problem can also be encountered in diseases such as middle ear infections, cholesteatoma, middle ear tumors that cause deformation in the ossicles in the middle ear, and chronic otitis media or otosclerosis, which causes perforation or thickening of the eardrum. Inner ear involvement is prominent in sensorineural hearing loss. This disorder is seen in hearing loss called presbycusis, which is generally seen in advanced age, in those who work in a constantly noisy environment or who are exposed to sudden, excessive noise due to explosions and loud music, due to ototoxicity caused by medication use, and in the presence of inner ear tumors.”
Stating that among the causes of sensorineural hearing loss, there are also disorders that occur in the neonatal period, specialists said, “This disorder may develop due to infections such as TORCH (toxoplasma, rubella, cytomegalovirus, or herpes simplex) in the premature or neonatal period. Genetic diseases can also cause hearing loss.”

The Patient's History is at the Forefront of the Diagnosis

Specialists, who said that the causes of conductive communication losses area determined and treated with surgery, medical treatment, or the use of hearing aids, made the following statement about the treatment approach:
“In childhood, this condition is most commonly caused by otitis media. In these children, first of all, a patient history is taken to confirm the diagnosis. Generally, in addition to ear pain and hearing loss, families also talk about upper respiratory tract infections such as the sore throat. Pediatric patients may also have allergies, adenoid, and tonsil problems. The degree of hearing is measured with the audiometry test, and the middle ear pressure is measured with the tympanometry test. If hearing loss is detected in the child after the examination, first of all, medication treatment is applied. If the middle ear infection is not resolved in this way, the patient is kept under follow-up.”

Tubes Are Not Applied to Every Child

Stating that in cases where fluid accumulation is detected in the middle ear, it is expected that the fluid will be resolved with medication treatment first, Yeditepe University Otolaryngologists said that children experience complaints such as hearing loss, not hearing well, not being able to follow the lesson, distraction, turning up the volume of the television too much, not being able to answer when their parents call, or being unable to distinguish speech, especially in noisy environments. They gave the following information about the treatment approach: “In this case, if there is no improvement despite antibiotic treatment, nasal sprays, and suspension medications called systemic decongestants, ear tube treatment is recommended.”

Reminding that not every child is applied an ear tube, the specialists said, “About 80 percent of these infections resolve with antibiotic and decongestant treatment. However, it should be kept in mind that if children with this condition are not treated correctly, permanent hearing loss may be encountered in the future. Because the condition can lead to some permanent changes in the structure of the ossicles and membranes in the middle ear.”

Ear Needs to be Protected After Surgery

Stating that ear tubes are released into the external ear canal spontaneously within an average of six months to a year after the surgery, and the families often do not realize this, the specialists explained what can be done to protect the ear after the surgery: “Tubes that do not come out spontaneously in routine controls are removed after two years. After the surgery, water should not get into the ear until the tube completes its task and comes out. For this reason, it is important to put cotton with vaseline in the ears of children while bathing or to use some earplugs suitable for the external ear canal, which can be bought from the pharmacy. If you are going on a sea vacation, the external ear canal can be completely closed with some devices that can be obtained from companies that sell hearing aids.”

When Is a Cochlear Implant Used?

In order to detect hearing loss in the newborn period, newborn hearing tests, which are included in the routine screening program of the Ministry of Health, are performed. Saying that in case of advanced loss, hearing aids are used in the early period, specialists gave the following information:
“Babies with severe hearing loss before the age of one or two are referred to cochlear implantation surgery. Hearing aids can be recommended to adult patients with hearing loss. Cochlear implants can be applied as a treatment option for adults who have severe hearing loss in both ears and do not benefit from hearing aids.”

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