A patient has genetic degeneration of outer hair cells within the cochlea. Which type of hearing loss will this structural damage produce?

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Multiple Choice

A patient has genetic degeneration of outer hair cells within the cochlea. Which type of hearing loss will this structural damage produce?

Explanation:
Outer hair cells in the cochlea amplify soft sounds and help sharpen frequency discrimination. If these cells degenerate, the cochlea’s ability to detect and properly tune sounds is impaired, so the problem lies in the inner ear’s sensory apparatus. That results in sensorineural hearing loss, where sound reaches the inner ear but is not processed effectively. Conductive loss would involve the middle ear structures and would not reflect a sensory-stage damage; mixed loss would require both inner and middle ear involvement, which isn’t indicated here.

Outer hair cells in the cochlea amplify soft sounds and help sharpen frequency discrimination. If these cells degenerate, the cochlea’s ability to detect and properly tune sounds is impaired, so the problem lies in the inner ear’s sensory apparatus. That results in sensorineural hearing loss, where sound reaches the inner ear but is not processed effectively. Conductive loss would involve the middle ear structures and would not reflect a sensory-stage damage; mixed loss would require both inner and middle ear involvement, which isn’t indicated here.

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