A myriad range of medical conditions can influence the ability of hearing. Fortunately, most of these conditions are improved with treatment, but if neglected or misdiagnosed, they can lead to permanent loss of hearing.

Otitis media is the inflammation or the infection of the middle ear. This condition is the most common cause of the loss of hearing in the children due to the shape of the young Eustachian tube; it can affect one or both ears. The complications of the untreated otitis media in adults include the perforation of the eardrum and the infection of the mastoid bone (located behind the ear).

Tinnitus is the medical term for the ringing or the noises in the ear. This condition occurs mainly due to injury of the endings of the hearing nerve in the inner ear. Tinnitus can develop normally with the increase in age, but in the children and the younger people, the most common cause for tinnitus is the recurrent exposure to loud noises. With the proper medical treatment and the assisting hearing aids, tinnitus can be treated effectively.

Swimmer’s ear occurs due to the entrapment of water or fluid in the ear canal, leading to the accumulation of the bacterial growth and the infection of the outer ear (Otitis Externa). This condition affects mainly the swimmers, but it can occur occasionally during bathing or showering. In the complicated cases, the swelling in the outer ear will close the ear
canal resulting in transient hearing loss.

Earwax is very important in trapping the dust particles and preventing them from reaching the eardrum; it is formed naturally by some glands located in the external part of the ear. The accumulated earwax is one of the most common causes of hearing impairments. The accumulated earwax is better to be removed by a physician, as any attempt to remove the ear wax by cotton pellets or any foreign object will result in pushing the earwax deeper inside the ear canal.

Cholesteatoma is an abnormal growth in the skin behind the eardrum in the area of the middle ear. This condition is diagnosed most commonly at birth, but it also results from chronic otitis media in a poorly functioning Eustachian tube. The complication of the untreated Cholesteatoma is very serious, including the erosion of the bone and the spread of infection to the area of the inner ear and to the brain, leading to brain abscesses, meningitis, permanent loss of hearing, and eventually death.

Autoimmune Inner Ear Diseases (AIED) is a condition occurring when the body’s own immune system fails to recognize the cells of the inner ear, and starts to attack them leading to their inflammation. The early diagnosis and treatment of AIED is very important. Some of the early signs for this condition are the sudden loss of the hearing that starts in one ear and continues rapidly to the second ear, also vertigo, the sensation of ear fullness, and tinnitus. Medical drugs, assisting hearing devices and cochlear implants are very effective treatments for AIED.

Perforated Eardrum is a medical condition describing the presence of a hole in the eardrum. The eardrum is a thin membrane separating between the middle ear and the ear canal. The eardrum perforation causes hearing impairment and some ear discharges accompanied with pain. Surgical interference is necessary to treat eardrum perforation, but occasionally, this condition might heal spontaneously. Serious complication can happen if water enters the middle ear through the hole of the perforated eardrum.