What is a common characteristic of conductive hearing impairment?

A common characteristic of conductive hearing impairment is indeed related to difficulty in the transmission of sound. This type of hearing loss occurs when there is an issue in the outer or middle ear that prevents sound from effectively reaching the inner ear. For example, this can happen due to earwax buildup, fluid in the middle ear, or damage to the eardrum. As a result, individuals may experience a reduction in sound level or the ability to hear faint sounds.

This contrasts with other types of hearing impairments. Inability to hear high frequencies is more characteristic of sensorineural hearing loss, which involves damage to the inner ear or the auditory nerve. Complete loss of hearing refers to deafness, which can occur in various types of hearing loss but is not a defining characteristic of conductive hearing impairment specifically. Distortion of sound quality can also occur, but it is not a primary feature of conductive hearing loss, which primarily affects volume rather than clarity. Therefore, difficulty in sound transmission is what points to the nature of conductive hearing impairment.