Hearing loss present at birth is called congenital. It can be caused by:

• illness or infection the mother had during pregnancy
• medicines taken by the mother during pregnancy
• associated with other medical problems (syndromes)
• physical abnormality of any part of the ear
• hereditary factors

Hearing loss which develops later is called acquired. It can be caused by:

• difficulty during the birth
• jaundice
• meningitis, scarlet fever, mumps or other illnesses associated with high fever
• neurodegenerative disorders
• medications which are toxic to the inner ear
• head injury or trauma to the ear
• repeated or constant ear infections