Hearing loss is a partial or complete absence of sound. But that is not always the case. Some exceptional cases include single-sided hearing loss and sudden sensorineural hearing loss. Likewise, reverse-slope hearing loss is an uncommon issue.
It would be best to get your hearing checked by an audiologist in Chennai at least once a year. Unlike the rest of the issues, this hearing ailment does not explicitly make its presence known. Let us know in detail what reverse-slope hearing loss is.
About reverse-slope hearing loss
This hearing loss derives its name from how it is depicted on the audiogram. A person struggles to hear all the low-frequency voices. Reverse-slope hearing loss is hard to diagnose and not very evident at first. As mentioned earlier, reverse-slope hearing loss is rare. To put it in numbers, only 1 person gets affected out of 12,000.
How does it affect hearing?
The onset of this issue is not very clear. Generally, a gradual decrease in the ability to hear is hearing loss. But, reverse-slope hearing loss makes hearing low frequencies difficult. An affected person would not hear low-frequency sounds such as men’s voices and bass sounds in thunder and music. It decreases the speech volume and makes it hard to make vowel sounds.
Symptoms of reverse-slope hearing loss
Here are some signs of this hearing ailment:
- Women and children voices sound better than men
- Difficulty in hearing on the phone compared to in-person chats
- Absence of the engine rumbling of car, airplane, and truck
- Music sounds very thin
- Listening to unnaturally high-pitched sounds that others cannot hear
Causes of reverse-slope hearing loss
Meniere’s disease or otosclerosis can cause this hearing loss. In rare cases, it is genetically transmitted. Any autoimmune disorder such as the one discussed above would progress the hearing loss over time, affecting sounds across all pitches. Low-frequency hearing loss can cause cardiovascular diseases. However, no concrete link has been made yet.
Diagnosis
Since it is rare, it has been misconstrued or unidentified for many years. Standard tests usually detect other forms of hearing loss. Only with meticulous testing can the audiologist obtain a graph that slopes from low to high. It is against the general hearing loss graph that slopes from high to low.
Treatment
Many Siemens hearing aid dealers in Chennai have hearing aids that boost low-frequency sounds without amplifying the high frequencies. Since the disease is rare, a lot of trial and error is needed to find the right level of amplification. An affected person would have to take the help of an audiologist. They might assess the condition by analyzing specific characteristics:
- Enhanced sensitivity to high-frequency sounds
- Pure tone hearing loss
- Low speech perception without visual cues
- Not adjusting to hearing aids that support regular hearing loss.
Even though the symptoms do not sound dangerous, you should not shy away from regular low-frequency hearing tests. The main reason not to do so is safety. If you cannot hear the low hum of a car, you won’t see it coming. Adro Hearing Aid can cater to your hearing aid needs at an economical cost. Our rates are slightly lower than the general hearing aid price in Chennai. So, contact us today!