High-frequency hearing loss
What is a high-frequency hearing loss?
A high-frequency hearing loss is a hearing loss where you are unable to hear sounds that occur in the higher end of frequencies, which are frequencies of 2,000 Hz or higher. These sounds are also called the higher sounds or high-pitched sounds.
A certain type of high-frequency hearing loss is called a ski-slope hearing loss, as it has the shape of a ski-slope in an audiogram.
Symptoms of high-frequency hearing loss
People with a high-frequency hearing loss may have trouble understanding female and children’s voices and experience difficulties hearing birds singing or other high-pitched sounds, e.g. treble sounds when listing to music.
A high frequency hearing loss also makes it difficult to hear conversations in larger groups, in noisy places or in places with background noise. People with high-frequency hearing loss may also struggle to understand normal speech because they can have problems hearing consonant letters, such as F, H, S.
Causes of high-frequency hearing loss
Causes of high-frequency hearing loss can be age, noise, diseases or infections. It may also be caused by genetic factors. A high-frequency hearing loss is typically a sensorineural hearing loss, which is a hearing loss normally caused by damage to the hair cells in the inner ear that receives the sounds and convert them to signals that are transmitted to the brain by the auditory nerves.
Treatment of high-frequency hearing loss
High-frequency hearing loss can be identified by a hearing test. A high-frequency hearing loss is normally treated with hearing aids.
If you think that you have a high-frequency hearing loss, you should contact your family doctor or a hearing care professional.
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