Otosclerosis is a rare disease which is most likely inherited but also can be influenced by a virus, such as the measles. This particular disorder is when there is abnormal bone growth in the middle ear that can potentially cause hearing loss. Ask your Audiologist about the benefits of a bone conduction implant to treat your hearing loss from Otosclerosis.
What is Otosclerosis?
Otosclerosis is abnormal bone growth in the middle ear, where the bones eventually grow into one another forming a permanent mass. This mass of bones is tightly knitted together, which prevents the normal transmission of sound from the eardrum into the inner ear. Depending on where the disease takes place in the ear, it could cause either conductive hearing loss or mixed hearing loss. About 1% of the population has a clinical diagnosis of Otosclerosis and this disorder is two times more common in women than men.1 Typically if you have Otosclerosis, the natural course of this disease is that you may start having hearing loss as early as ten years old; from there it can progress as you age or you can show no symptoms at all.
What is Conductive Hearing Loss?
Conductive hearing loss is when there is a barrier or damage to the outer or middle ear which prevents sound vibrations to travel to the inner ear. Conductive hearing loss can be permanent or temporary, depending on the cause. A bone conduction implant system could be a solution for those who suffer from conductive hearing loss.
What is Mixed Hearing Loss?
Mixed hearing loss is when there is a combination of conductive and sensorineural hearing loss. This means there may be damage in both the outer or middle ear and in the inner ear. The sensorineural component is permanent while the conductive component can be permanent or temporary. A bone conduction implant system could be a solution for those who suffer from mixed hearing loss.
What are the symptoms of Otosclerosis?*
Many of those affected by Otosclerosis experience similar symptoms such as:
- Gradual hearing loss
- Dizziness
- Vertigo (balance problems)
- Tinnitus (ringing in the ears)
- Struggling to hear low-pitched sounds- such as a whisper
*If you think you have Otosclerosis your diagnosis should be made by a healthcare professional.
How the Baha® Implant System is different.
Unlike hearing aids or middle ear surgery, the Baha Implant System helps you hear through direct bone conduction. Bone conduction implants work by bypassing the middle and outer ear, sending clearer, crisper sound directly to your inner ear.2 This provides a greater hearing benefit at a lower cost than middle ear surgery.3 For more than 40 years, bone conduction implants have positively affected how people with conductive hearing loss live their lives and have helped them regain access to sounds they love.
Through years of research and decades of experience the Baha Implant System is a clinically proven medical treatment for those who suffer from single-sided deafness, conductive and mixed hearing loss. Those who have treated their hearing loss with the Baha Implant System reported a significantly higher quality of life than compared to when they left their hearing loss untreated.4,5
Learn how the Baha® System helped Anne get her life back.
Anne struggled throughout her entire life with conductive hearing loss. She had multiple middle ear surgeries in hopes it would help restore her hearing. After many failed attempts of surgeries and hearing aids never being enough for her, Anne decided to get her life back with the Cochlear™ Baha® Implant System.
If you or your loved one has hearing loss due to Otosclerosis learn more about the next steps and how the Baha System can help.
