{"id":7434,"date":"2024-10-11T18:49:17","date_gmt":"2024-10-11T16:49:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ivrt.de\/?p=7434"},"modified":"2025-08-25T17:22:21","modified_gmt":"2025-08-25T15:22:21","slug":"otosklerose","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ivrt.de\/en\/schwindelerkrankungen\/otosklerose\/","title":{"rendered":"Otosclerosis"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Vestibular disorders<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Otosclerosis<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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This information is intended as a general introduction to the topic.<\/i> Since every person is affected differently by balance and dizziness problems, you should consult your doctor for individual advice.<\/i><\/p>

For reasons of readability, the generic masculine form is used and the simultaneous use of the male, female, and diverse (m\/f\/d) forms is omitted. Unless otherwise specified, the personal designations used in this patient information refer to all genders.<\/i><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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What is otosclerosis?<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Otosclerosis is a complex disorder of abnormal bone growth in the middle ear. It usually occurs when the tiny stapes bone grows together with the surrounding bone. Otosclerosis usually leads to a slow, progressive conductive hearing loss.<\/p>

If the stapes can no longer vibrate, hearing is impaired. Sound waves can no longer travel efficiently from the eardrum to the inner ear. Advanced otosclerosis can cause dizziness and affect balance, especially if the abnormal bone growth extends into the inner ear.<\/p>

Sometimes the hearing loss in otosclerosis is relatively mild and remains so. However, it usually worsens gradually. This can happen quickly or over many years. Otosclerosis can lead to severe hearing loss, but rarely to complete deafness.<\/p>

In around 70 - 80 % of cases, otosclerosis affects both ears (bilateral). In the early stages of the disease, patients often report hearing loss in only one ear (unilateral).<\/p>

Otosclerosis is one of the most common causes of hearing loss in young adults. In most cases, hearing loss is first noticed in the teens and twenties. Otosclerosis can also occur in children and older people. Women are about twice as likely to develop otosclerosis as men. Pregnancy can cause otosclerosis to progress more quickly.<\/p>

Otosclerosis is rare and occurs in around 3 in 1,000 people. Research suggests that 25-50% of people with otosclerosis have a family history of the disease.<\/p>

The word otosclerosis comes from the Greek. It means an abnormal hardening of the tissue (sclerosis) in the ear (oto).<\/p>

How do we listen?<\/u><\/p>

To understand why otosclerosis causes hearing loss, it is important to have a basic understanding of how we hear. For hearing to function normally, a sound must pass through all three parts of the ear: the outer, middle and inner ear. The outer and middle ear are filled with air, but the inner ear is filled with fluid.<\/p>

The outer ear consists of the pinna and the funnel-shaped external auditory canal. The pinna collects sound waves (vibrations) and transmits them through the ear canal to the eardrum. This causes the eardrum to vibrate and converts the sound waves into mechanical vibrations.<\/p>

These vibrations are transmitted to three tiny bones (he malleus, incus, and stapes) in the air-filled space of the middle ear. These bones, also known as ossicles, are arranged in such a way that they amplify the vibrations.<\/p>

The stapes, the innermost bone, is connected to the cochlea in the inner ear. The cochlea contains tiny hairs and fluid. When the stapes vibrates against a \"window\" in the wall of the cochlea, the fluid moves. This causes the hairs to bend and generate electrical signals. These signals are sent to the brain via the vestibulocochlear nerve (8th cranial nerve) and interpreted as sound.<\/p>

Hearing is impaired in otosclerosis when the stapes grows together with the surrounding bones of the middle ear. The stapes can no longer vibrate and sound is no longer transmitted efficiently from the eardrum to the inner ear.<\/p>

Types of hearing loss in otosclerosis<\/strong><\/p>

There are different types of hearing loss in otosclerosis:<\/p>