Mixed hearing loss refers to which scenario?

• A. Purely conductive loss
• B. No hearing loss
• C. A combination of conductive and sensorineural types in the same ear
• D. Purely sensorineural loss

Answer: (C)

Mixed hearing loss occurs when both a conductive problem and a sensorineural problem are present in the same ear. The conductive part means sound isn’t being transmitted effectively through the outer or middle ear, while the sensorineural part means the inner ear or auditory nerve isn’t functioning properly. On an audiogram, you typically see elevated bone-conduction thresholds (indicating a sensorineural component) and a further drop in air-conduction thresholds with an air–bone gap (indicating an additional conductive component). An example would be a middle-ear issue like fluid or ossicular disruption occurring alongside inner-ear damage. This is why the description fits a combination of conductive and sensorineural types in one ear, rather than purely one type or no loss at all.