Hearing loss can be due to a problem with one of the three components of the ear (see diagram).
Blockage of the external ear canal can be due to, most commonly impacted wax, but also swelling due to otitis externa and other swellings.
The middle ear can cause hearing loss through problems affecting the ear drum (such as a perforation), other ear drum problems, mastoid disease, or problems with the ossicles, the little bones within it that transmit sound. The commonenst problems are build up of fluid in the middle ear (glue ear in children) and eustation tube problems. Many patients with these types of problems also have problems with the nose and sinuses (rhinosinusitis).
Hearing losses due to problems with the external or middle ear are known as conductive hearing losses.
There are many causes of inner ear -related hearing loss, but the commonenst is the ageing process (presbyacusis), which causes loss of high frequency hearing loss in particular. This type of hearing loss causes problems with hearing discrimination, or the perception of clarity of sound (e.g. in noisy environments). Inner ear hearing loss is also can be associated with tinnitus. Because for the role of the inner ear in balance, some inner ear disorders cause balance problems as well as hearing loss.
Inner ear hearing losses are known as sensorineural hearing losses
LINKS:
http://www.entuk.org.uk/patient_info/ear/deafness_html