Gradual or persistent hearing loss

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Gradual or persistent hearing loss

Minimal, new hearing loss can occur with several minor problems such as earwax buildup or trapped fluid in the space behind the eardrum (otitis media with effusion). In both of these cases, hearing loss usually improves with time or home treatment.

Minimal hearing loss and a feeling of fullness in the ear often accompanies a viral respiratory illness, such as a cold. As other cold symptoms improve, hearing usually returns to normal.

As people age, progressive hearing loss becomes more common. There are many causes of hearing loss in older adults. Two of the most common are:

• Presbycusis, which causes progressive difficulty understanding speech, especially in the presence of background noise.
• Acoustic trauma (noise-induced hearing loss), which causes partial deafness or ringing in the ears, with the sensation that the ears are plugged.

In rare cases, a gradual hearing loss, usually in just one ear, can be a symptom of an acoustic neuroma, a noncancerous tumor that grows in the cells covering the auditory nerve. Other early symptoms of acoustic neuroma include ringing in the ear, headache, numbness or weakness on one side of the face, and unsteadiness when walking.

Credits

Last updated:	February 13, 2008
Author:	Jan Nissl, RN, BS
Reviewed By:	William M. Green, MD - Emergency Medicine, Donald R. Mintz, MD - Otolaryngology
Editors:	Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA, Tracy Landauer