Sensorineural hearing loss means that the nerves in the inner ear that lead to the brain are damaged. More specifically, the damage occurs within tiny hair cells in the inner ear that have nerve endings that normally convert sound into electrical signals to be carried to the brain.
Rubella is one common (and vaccine preventable) cause of sensorineural hearing loss. Other causes include other diseases, ototoxic drugs, getting older, or exposure to loud noises. People with hereditary hearing loss can also have sensorineural hearing loss. If the auditory nerve that runs to the brain from the ear is also damaged, that too can cause sensorineural hearing loss. Even damage to the brain itself can cause sensorineural hearing loss.
How can you tell if you have developed sensorineural hearing loss? Known symptoms include having problems hearing in a noisy environment and difficulty understanding letter sounds like the letter "s." Another symptom is having problems following a group conversation with two or more people.
There is no way to fix the damage in the nerves with drugs or surgery. People with sensorineural hearing loss can be helped by hearing aids or by cochlear implants that "bypass" this damage.
Sources:
Sensorineural Hearing Loss. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. http://www.asha.org/public/hearing/Sensorineural-Hearing-Loss/. Accessed February 2011.
Sensorineural Deafness. Medline Plus Medical Encyclopedia. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003291.htm. Accessed February 2011.
