From depression to dementia, many other health conditions are connected to the health of your hearing. Here are just a few of the ways your hearing is connected to your health.
1. your Hearing is Affected by Diabetes
A widely-cited study that looked at more than 5,000 adults found that people who had been diagnosed with diabetes were two times as likely to suffer mild or worse hearing loss when tested with low- or mid-frequency sounds. With high-frequency sounds, hearing loss was not as severe but was also more likely. This same research reported that people who had slightly elevated blood sugar levels (pre-diabetic) were 30% more likely to have hearing impairment. And even when controlling for other variables, a more recent meta-study discovered a consistent link between diabetes and hearing loss.
So a greater danger of hearing impairment is firmly linked to diabetes. But the significant question is why is there a connection. Science is at somewhat of a loss here. Diabetes is linked to a wide range of health problems, and particularly, can result in physical damage to the eyes, kidneys, and extremities. It’s possible that diabetes has a similar harmful affect on the blood vessels of the inner ear. But it might also be related to overall health management. A study that observed military veterans highlighted the link between hearing loss and diabetes, but in particular, it revealed that those with uncontrolled diabetes, in other words, individuals who are not controlling their blood sugar or otherwise taking care of the disease, suffered worse outcomes. If you are concerned that you might be pre-diabetic or have undiagnosed diabetes, it’s important to speak to a doctor and have your blood sugar checked.
2. High Blood Pressure Can Damage Your Ears
Multiple studies have shown that hearing loss is associated with high blood pressure, and some have found that high blood pressure could actually accelerate age-related hearing loss. Even when adjusting for variables such as whether you smoke or your level of noise exposure, the results are solid. Gender seems to be the only variable that makes a difference: Men who have high blood pressure are at a higher risk of hearing loss.
Your ears aren’t part of your circulatory system, but they’re in close relation to it: In addition to the many tiny blood vessels in your ear, two of the body’s main arteries run right by it. Individuals with high blood pressure, often, can hear their own blood pumping and this is the source of their tinnitus. Because you can hear your own pulse with this type of tinnitus, it’s known as pulsatile tinnitus. The foremost theory why high blood pressure would speed up hearing loss is that high blood pressure can result in physical damage to your ears. If your heart is pumping harder, there’s more force behind every beat. That could potentially damage the smaller blood arteries in your ears. High blood pressure is treatable through both lifestyle changes and medical interventions. But if you think you’re suffering from hearing loss, even if you think you’re not old enough for age-related hearing loss, you should make an appointment to see us.
3. Dementia And Hearing Impairment
Hearing loss might put you at a higher risk of dementia. Almost 2000 individuals were studied over a six year period by Johns Hopkins University, and the research revealed that even with mild hearing loss (about 25 dB), the risk of dementia increases by 24%. And the worse the level of hearing impairment, the higher the risk of dementia, according to another study carried out over a decade by the same researchers. This research also revealed that Alzheimer’s had an equivalent connection to hearing loss. Based on these results, moderate hearing loss puts you at 3X the risk of somebody without hearing loss. Severe hearing loss puts you at almost 4x the risk.
It’s crucial, then, to have your hearing tested. Your health depends on it.
References
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hearing-loss/symptoms-causes/syc-20373072
https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/hearing-loss-common-people-diabetes
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23150692
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4632848/
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/1108740
https://www.helpingmehear.com/hearing-aids-facts/
https://www.hindawi.com/journals/bmri/2018/8541638/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3889339/
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/1558452
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaneurology/fullarticle/802291
