Sound Check: Decoding your audiogram for better hearing

Hearing

One of our most important senses, hearing helps us interact with the environment.  However, hearing loss is a common concern that can significantly affect our quality of life. Audiometry testing is the foundation of understanding and managing hearing health. In this informative guide, we explore the world of audiometry testing in India, with insights from leading hospitals and experts.

A review

Let’s start with the basics. An audiometry test is a set of assessments designed to measure your hearing ability. These tests play an important role in diagnosing hearing problems and developing an appropriate treatment plan.

Why is audiometry testing important

Your life may be significantly impacted by hearing loss. Discover why early detection through audiometry testing is important to maintaining your overall well-being.

Understanding Audiometry Test Types:

1. Pure-Tone Audiometry (PTA)

Pure-tone audiometry, also known as pure-tone testing, is probably the best-known type of audiometry test. It assesses a person’s ability to hear different pitches or frequencies of sounds. Here’s how it works:

They wear headphones or put earphones in their ears. A series of pure tones (single-frequency sounds) presented at different loudness levels (measured in decibels or dB). The results are plotted on an audiogram, which displays the individual’s hearing thresholds for different frequencies.

2. Speech audiometry

Speech audiometry assesses a person’s ability to understand and repeat spoken words or sentences at different volumes. It complements pure-tone audiometry and provides valuable information about a person’s ability to hear and understand speech. Here’s how it usually works:

Subjects listen to a series of recorded or live speech stimuli through headphones. The audiologist adjusts the volume (loudness) of speech in decibels. The person repeats the words or sentences he heard. Speech audiometry is used to calculate speech reception thresholds and speech discrimination scores. It provides insight into how well a person understands speech in quiet and noisy environments, which is important for communication and daily tasks.

3. Tympanometry

Tympanometry is a test that evaluates the dynamics of the eardrum (tympanic membrane) and the function of the middle ear. It is especially useful for detecting problems such as Eustachian tube dysfunction, middle ear infections, or ear canal blockages. Here’s how it works:

A soft probe tip is placed at the entrance to the ear canal. The results are displayed on a graph called a tympanogram. Tympanometry helps identify problems related to middle ear pressure and eardrum compliance, contributing to a more comprehensive assessment of hearing health.

4. Otoacoustic Emission (OAE)

Otoacoustic emissions are sounds produced by the inner ear (cochlea) in response to acoustic stimuli. Here’s how it works:

A small probe with a microphone and speaker is placed in the ear canal. The OAE test is quick and painless and provides valuable information about the health of the cochlea and the auditory pathway.

5. Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR)

An electrophysiological test called the auditory brainstem response assesses the electrical activity of the brainstem and auditory nerve in response to sound. It is often used to assess hearing in infants, children, and individuals who are not able to provide behavioral feedback. Here’s how it works:

Electrodes are placed on the scalp and earlobes to measure electrical responses to sound stimuli. Sound is presented through headphones. ABR testing helps identify hearing loss and auditory pathway abnormalities, providing important information for diagnostic purposes.

How to interpret audiometry results

We’ll break down the audiogram and explain what each line and symbol means for your hearing health.

1. Review the audiogram

An audiogram is a chart that displays your hearing ability. It consists of two main components: frequency on the horizontal axis (measured in Hertz or Hz) and intensity (measured in decibels or dB) on the vertical axis. Audiograms at different frequencies

2. Identify the symbol

On an audiogram, certain symbols are used to mark hearing thresholds: “X” usually represents the right ear. “O” usually represents the left ear. Different colors (often red and blue) may be used to distinguish between results for the right and left ears. These symbols represent the quietest noises you can hear at each frequency that was tested.

3. Know the normal hearing range

On the audiogram, there is usually a shaded area that represents the “normal hearing range”. This range typically falls between 0 dB (at the top of the vertical axis) and 20 dB. Sounds within this range should be comfortably audible to people with normal hearing.

4. Determine the type of hearing loss

You can determine the kind of hearing loss by the arrangement of the symbols and lines on the audiogram:

Normal hearing is defined as the majority of the symbols being within the shaded range (0–20 dB). Such damage often indicates an outer or middle ear problem This type of damage usually stems from problems with the inner ear or auditory nerve. It can result from a combination of outer/middle ear and inner ear or nerve problems.

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