Otosclerosis is a condition that affects the middle ear (the part of your ear where sound waves are transmitted) and causes hearing loss. It can be caused by a number of different conditions and is often inherited, as it tends to run in families.
Your ear contains three tiny bones that vibrate to amplify the sound that passes through them. These bones move against your eardrum and then transmit the vibrations to thousands of special hair cells inside your inner ear (cochlea).
This process allows you to hear.
Most people with normal hearing can hear sounds of varying frequencies, including low and high sounds. But the hearing of people with otosclerosis can be very low, especially in situations with loud noises or strong background music.
In addition, they may experience tinnitus or have trouble hearing when there is a lot of background noise.
Normally, the bones in your middle ear vibrate in order to transmit the sound waves to your cochlea, which converts these sound waves into signals that can be sent to your brain.
When your ear is affected by otosclerosis, the bone growth in the stapes bone becomes abnormal and interferes with the ability of sound to travel from your middle ear to your inner ear. The symptoms of otosclerosis include a slow, gradual loss of hearing.
The disease usually affects women in their 20s and 30s, but it can start at any age.
It is a hereditary disorder that is more common among Caucasians than in other groups. In the United States, one in 10 adults has otosclerosis.
Genetics play a role in developing the condition, and experts think that it may be related to an imbalance of several substances in the body. These substances are needed for healthy bone remodeling.
Certain medical conditions can increase your risk of otosclerosis, including measles, stress fractures to the bony tissue around your ear and immune disorders where your immune system mistakes parts of your body as invaders and attacks them mistakenly.
In most cases, otosclerosis is diagnosed by an ear, nose and throat specialist or an audiologist. After a thorough examination, the doctor will order a hearing test and a CT scan of your ear to rule out other causes for your symptoms.
A CT scan will show whether the abnormal bone in your ear is growing to the point where it blocks or prevents sound from reaching your inner ear. If the X-ray shows that there is an abnormal growth of bone, your doctor will likely recommend surgery to correct this condition.
The surgery, called a stapedectomy, will remove or replace the abnormal stapes bone and may restore hearing to some extent. It is usually an outpatient procedure, and you can return home immediately afterward.
Some doctors may also suggest a hearing aid to help you hear better and reduce tinnitus. The device can amplify sound waves that reach your eardrum and stimulate the fluid inside your ear canal, which helps to restore hearing.
