What happens to the ear when hearing lose occurs?

Sounds are perceived when sound waves pass through the 3
main structures of the ear. Hearing loss occures when one or more structures are
affected.

These structures
are:

- External ear canal;

-
Middle ear, which is separated from the external ear canal through the tympanic membrane
(eardrum);

- Inner ear, which contains the cochlea, the
main sensory organ of hearing.

Depending on the affected
structures of the ear, hearing loss can be of several
types:

-  impaired sound transmission (transmission
deafness): sounds do not reach the inner ear, this situation occurs when the ear wax or
growths block the sound transmission, such as in
otosclerosis;

- Hearing loss of sensorineural
cause (sensorineural deafness): examples of the sensorineural hearing loss include both
noise-related hearing loss and age hearing loss.

Another
category of hearing loss is due to central causes. In this type of illness, ear
structures function normally but there was a cortical damage of the structures that
control hearing, blocking the sound understanding. This can occur after a head injury or
a stroke. This type of hearing loss is very rare.