A person can fall victim to hearing loss problems at any point in their life, no matter what type of hearing loss. Any hearing loss can profoundly affect the way of life of a person, and there are hearing loss problems of various kinds. Hearing loss can be age-related, or can be caused due to exposure to loud noise, or can be hereditary. Hearing loss can be temporary, while the others are permanent and you won't fully cure them. Hearing loss problems can also be divided into 5 degrees, ranging from mild to profound.
There are also some unique forms of hearing loss, and “Cookie Bite Hearing Loss” is one of them. Cookie Bite Hearing Loss is relatively uncommon, as it doesn’t occur as much as other hearing loss such as age-related hearing loss, or noise-induced hearing loss. Mid-range hearing loss is referred to as Cookie Bite Hearing Loss, and this term has derived from the shape of the audiogram result of a test taken by a mid-range hearing loss patient.
What is Cookie Bite Hearing Loss?
Research published in the Journal of Laryngology and Otology says that Cookie Bite Hearing Loss is a type of sensorineural hearing loss, and sensorineural hearing loss problems are permanent types of hearing loss. So, it occurs due to impairment in the auditory nerves. This hearing loss is quite unusual, as it affects particular sounds a person will hear. And it gets developed slowly and is more challenging to detect than other hearing loss types.
As said earlier, the name comes from the shape created on an audiogram result, which shows the results of the hearing test of a person that is suffering from mid-range or mid-frequency hearing loss. When a patient is diagnosed with Cookie Bite Hearing Loss prognosis, the pattern of their hearing thresholds looks like a ‘U’. There is a dent in the middle that looks like someone has taken a bite out of a cookie. Hence this hearing loss got this name. You can see the dent in the graph given below. And this dent indicates that a person is facing severe problems in hearing mid-range sounds.
So, a person with this hearing loss faces problems hearing sounds of mid-range or mid-frequency, which is from about 500 Hz to 2000 Hz. Humans can typically hear sounds from the range of 20 to 20,000 Hz. So, the sounds range from low frequency sounds to high-frequency sounds. And people with this hearing loss fail to hear the mid-frequency ones. A considerable part of human speech, and also music fall into this category. But they can still hear low-frequency and high-frequency sounds.
As you’ll still be able to hear many sounds despite having this hearing loss, you might succeed in figuring out what people around you are saying. That’s why many people fail to detect that they are suffering from hearing loss. But it can have severe consequences at times like you might hear someone slamming a door or playing a musical instrument, but won’t be able to hear someone speaking just beside that.
If the problem is not congenial, then cookie bite hearing loss gets developed slowly over quite some time, and people might notice this problem first in their 20s, but it gets severe when they are in their 30s or 40s. And people tend to not care about it until it gets unbearable, so it remains undetected and keeps worsening with time.
Picture: Cookie Bite Audiogram; Credit: healthyhearing.com
Cookie Bite Hearing Loss Symptoms
When someone suffers from Cookie Bite Hearing Loss prognosis, they face trouble communicating with other people, as it becomes challenging for them to even hold a conversation properly. They also face problems during presentations, meetings, and interviews. As a result, their professional life and career also get in jeopardy.
People with mid-frequency hearing loss also miss warning messages in public places. They can feel distressed whenever they hear sirens or alarms. As they don’t get to hear sounds clearly, they need to raise the TV volume to understand what they are watch. It becomes tough to listen to music and understand environmental sounds.
And most importantly, their social life gets highly hampered as they struggle to keep up with conversations in crows or during social gatherings. Their life can get really frustrating as a consequence.
Reasons Behind Cookie Bite Hearing Loss
Cookie Bite Hearing loss is usually a genetic condition, so if someone in the family has a history of this hearing loss problem, future generations will be at risk of getting diagnosed by it. A person can be born with this problem, so that it can be congenital. Again, this problem can develop over time in a person due to the already existent genetic problem.
Apart from genetic reasons, some rare causes of cookie bite hearing loss problems are being developed. One such cause can be a rare type of tumor called “acoustic neuroma” or “vestibular schwannoma.” Suffering from it can lead a person to mid-frequency hearing loss.
How Can Cookie-Bite Hearing Loss Be Diagnosed?
The diagnosis process of Cookie Bite Hearing Loss involves an audiogram assessment that will reveal the particular patterns, which will point out that a person has this specific hearing loss. And as said earlier, the result of the cookie bite audiogram will look like the shape of a cookie bite. An Audiogram is a specific type of hearing test where the result of your hearing is shown on a graph. It will show the softest sounds you can hear during the test on that graph. Audiogram tests help determine what degree of hearing loss you have, and what frequency sound you can and can’t listen to.
If the hearing loss problem is hereditary, it might get discovered first when the child gets a hearing test. But if the hearing loss develops over time, it might take longer for someone to realize they have hearing loss, and the situation worsens with time. Sometimes the people you interact with might feel that you have hearing loss problems before you understand, as it is primarily a mild form of hearing loss. And this results in getting diagnosed with cookie bite hearing loss in a late stage, and the situation has already gotten worse by then.
However, make sure to start the treatment process soon after being diagnosed with mid-range or mid-frequency hearing loss. It would help if you did this regarding any hearing loss.
Cookie Bite Hearing Loss Treatments
As Cookie Bite Hearing Loss is a permanent type of hearing loss, there are no specific treatment options. It can never be cured. So, surgery or medications won’t work for this hearing loss. However, some cookie bite hearing loss treatment options are available that will help you get on with your everyday life, and listen better. Also, your hearing health will be safe from further deteriorating. Here are the cookie bite hearing loss treatment options:
Hearing Aids for Cookie-Bite Hearing Loss
Hearing aids are the most effective solution for permanent hearing loss problems. As cookie bite hearing loss is a permanent hearing loss, hearing aids can do wonders for people who have this hearing loss. Hearing aids can help to restore the loudness of the mid-frequency sounds a person cannot listen to. Then they will be able to communicate with other people with more confidence, as they’ll hear speeches properly. There are various types of hearing aids in the market. Make sure to get the one that will be perfect for your needs and preferences. There are many reputed brands that you can resort to for getting your hearing aids such as Oticon, Phonak, Nano Hearing Aids, Widex, etc.
Making Adaptations
You can try adapting to the situation by making some simple changes to improve your understanding of conversations. For instance, where you’ll sit in social gatherings, or crowded places such as classrooms, restaurants, etc. can be set based on your convenience. You can try moving close to someone you are making conversations with to see the movements of their lips. You can try moving closer to the amplification device if someone is speaking through a microphone.
These are the options you can go for to tackle your cookie bite hearing loss problems and continue your life normally and peacefully.
How Can Nano Hearing Aids Help?
Hearing aids are the most effective treatment that you can go for when you have a sensorineural or permanent type of hearing loss. As cookie bite hearing loss is a permanent hearing loss, it’s the same in this case. There are many hearing aids, and not all hearing aids will help you in the same way regarding mid-frequency hearing loss.
You’ll need hearing aids that will help you listen to the mid-frequency sounds again by amplifying those sounds for you, and adjust them properly for you to hear. Then, you will be able to understand speeches while making conversations with other people, and also you’ll be able to interact with people in crowded environments or during social gatherings. Your personal, social, and professional life will be saved, and you’ll be able to get on with your everyday life.
Many brands out there promise to provide you with high-quality hearing aids that can help you with various types of hearing loss problems. Even though you’ll need special hearing aids for this, you can get them from these brands. But you’ll need to be careful in choosing the perfect hearing aid for you. Make sure to choose the one that suits your needs and preferences the most.
Nano Hearing Aids is one of the most reputed brands that can provide you with high-quality hearing aids, and it can specifically help you with cookie bite hearing loss. You can get hearing aids from Nano Hearing Aids to help you with this problem, as Nano offers quite some options that can deal with it. The Nano RX2000, Nano Sigma, Nano X2R, etc. are some of the possibilities. You can think of this brand for getting your hearing aids without any doubt.
Final Words
Cookie Bite hearing loss is hard to detect, and it develops slowly over time. So, if you feel like you are facing difficulties in listening to speeches while making conversations, or facing problems while listening to music or watching TV, then make sure to get an audiogram test to see if you have this problem or not. If anyone in your family already has it, then you should indeed check to see if you have it too, as this problem is primarily genetic
If you get diagnosed with it, make sure to take necessary measures as soon as possible, as it can worsen over time. Hearing aids can help you the most with this problem, and you’ll be able to listen to the mid-frequency sounds again and get on with your everyday life.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q. Is cookie bite hearing loss progressive?
Ans: Yes, cookie loss hearing loss is progressive. It can worsen over time, so make sure to not make any delay in starting treatment after you get diagnosed with it.
Q. Is Cookie Bite Hearing Loss Permanent?
Ans: Yes, it is a permanent type of hearing loss. You can’t cure it with surgery or medicines.
Q. Can hearing aids help with cookie bite hearing loss?
Ans: Yes, hearing aids can be really effective in helping with this hearing loss. You need hearing loss that is good in amplifying mid-range sounds.
References:
Nano Hearing Aids has strict sourcing guidelines and draws only from peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical journals and associations. We avoid using tertiary references. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial privacy policy.
The Journal of Laryngology & Otology Published online by Cambridge University Press: 08 March 2006
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-laryngology-and-otology/article/abs/midfrequency-sensorineural-hearing-loss-aetiology-and-prognosis/765172736DAADEE75A3E20BFFFAB7B59
J.C. Middlebrooks, in Reference Module in Biomedical Sciences, 2015
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/auditory-nerve
