Alka Yagnik reveals health struggles: Explaining sensorineural hearing loss

Alka Yagnik reveals health struggles: Explaining sensorineural hearing loss

Renowned playback singer Alka Yagnik was recently honored with the Padma Bhushan award by President Droupadi Murmu.

In an Instagram post after receiving the award, she opened up about her health struggles over the past two years.

The 60-year-old revealed that she had been diagnosed with a "rare sensory neural nerve hearing loss due to a viral attack."

Here's everything you need to know about this condition.

What is sensorineural hearing loss?

Sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) is a common form of permanent hearing loss, according to NDTV Life Line.

It occurs when the inner ear, particularly the hair cells in the cochlea, or the auditory nerve, gets damaged.

This nerve transmits sound signals from the ear to the brain.

Once these hair cells or nerves are damaged, they usually cannot repair themselves naturally.

SNHL can affect one or both ears and may develop gradually over time or happen suddenly.

Types and early signs of the condition

Common early signs of SNHL include difficulty understanding conversations, frequently asking others to repeat themselves, needing to increase the volume of devices, trouble hearing high-pitched sounds, experiencing ringing or buzzing in the ears (tinnitus), and feeling tired after listening for long periods.

The main types of SNHL are congenital (present at birth), acquired (develops after birth due to various factors), sudden (rapid loss requiring immediate medical attention), age-related (gradual loss with aging), and noise-induced (from prolonged exposure to loud sounds).