Deafness is loss of hearing and may be divided into ‘conductive’ and ‘sensorineural’.

Causes

Conductive deafness

Acquired

  • Ear wax

  • Otitis externa

  • Otitis media (including glue ear)

  • Labyrinthitis

  • Otosclerosis

  • Foreign body

  • Perforation of the tympanic membrane (TM)

  • Barotrauma

  • Cholesteatoma

Congenital

  • Atresia of the meatus

Sensorineural deafness

Acquired

  • Presbyacusis (age-related sensorineural hearing loss)

  • Noise-induced trauma

  • Meniere’s disease

  • Ototoxicity (e.g. aminoglycosides, aspirin, furosemide and cytotoxic agents)

  • Stroke

  • Head injuries

  • Infection (e.g. mumps, herpes zoster, meningitis

  • Acoustic neuroma (vestibular schwannoma)

  • Brain tumours

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