Is hearing loss reversible? It’s a common question many people suffering from hearing loss want an answer to. It all depends on what the cause of your hearing loss is. Some common causes (and treatments) of reversible hearing loss are:

• Use of ototoxic medicines, such as aspirin or ibuprofen. Discontinuing the medication usually results in hearing improvement.

• Ear infection. In many cases, ear infections will clear up on their own, thereby eliminating any hearing loss that may have occurred. Otherwise, treatment with antibiotics will usually solve the problem.

• Sometimes an injury to your ear or head may cause temporary hearing loss. After proper treatment, hearing is usually fully restored.

• Conditions such as Ménière’s disease, otosclerosis or acoustic neuroma can all be treated with medication or surgery.

• Autoimmune problems can also lead to reversible hearing loss, which can be treated by corticosteroid medication.

• Some reversible hearing loss may be due to a build-up of wax in the ear canal. This can be easily removed by a doctor or through the use of an earwax removal kit (available at your local pharmacy). NEVER use a cotton swab or a sharp object to try to remove the wax; this could push the wax further in or lead to irreversible damage to your ear.

In relation to the “is hearing loss reversible” question, recent studies have shown that congenital deafness may be reversible. New discoveries have shown that a missing protein – connexin 30, may be the cause for this type of hearing loss. By increasing the amount of another protein, connexin 26, scientists were able to compensate for the missing one. These tests have so far only been carried out on mice, not humans. However, results so far seem to be promising.

Unfortunately, there is also permanent hearing loss, to which the answer to the question is hearing loss reversible, would be no. The majority of this type of hearing loss is age-related, noise-induced or sometimes both. In these cases, hearing aids can be used to treat the problem.

Be sure to consult your doctor or hearing specialist to learn more about whether or not hearing loss is reversible.

Sources: WebMD, Bio-Medicine, Hearing Loss Web