Your body and an ecosystem have some similarities. In the natural world, if something happens to the pond, all of the fish and birds are impacted as well; and when the birds go away so too do all of the plants and animals that rely on those birds. We might not recognize it but our body works on very similar principals. That’s the reason why a large number of diseases can be linked to something that at first appears so isolated like hearing loss.
This is, in a way, evidence of the interdependence of your body and it’s similarity to an ecosystem. Your brain may also be impacted if something affects your hearing. We call these situations comorbid, a term that is specialized and signifies when two conditions affect each other but don’t necessarily have a cause and effect relationship.
The conditions that are comorbid with hearing loss can tell us a lot concerning our bodies’ ecosystems.
Hearing Loss And The Conditions That Are Linked to it
So, let’s assume that you’ve been recognizing the symptoms of hearing loss for the past couple of months. You’ve been having a difficult time making out conversation when you go out for a bite. You’ve been cranking up the volume on your television. And certain sounds seem so far away. It would be a smart choice at this point to make an appointment with a hearing specialist.
Your hearing loss is connected to a number of health issues whether you recognize it or not. Comorbidity with hearing loss has been documented with the following health conditions.
- Cardiovascular disease: hearing loss and cardiovascular disease aren’t necessarily connected. But sometimes hearing loss can be intensified by cardiovascular disease. The reason for this is that trauma to the blood vessels of the inner ear is one of the first signs of cardiovascular disease. As that trauma gets worse, your hearing could suffer as an outcome.
- Vertigo and falls: your principal tool for balance is your inner ear. There are some forms of hearing loss that can play havoc with your inner ear, resulting in dizziness and vertigo. Any loss of balance can, of course, cause falls, and as you get older, falls will become significantly more dangerous.
- Depression: social separation brought on by hearing loss can cause a whole range of issues, some of which relate to your mental health. So depression and anxiety, not surprisingly, have been shown in study after study, to have a high rate of comorbidity with hearing loss.
- Diabetes: similarly, diabetes can have a negative affect on your nervous system all over your body (particularly in your extremities). one of the areas especially likely to be harmed are the nerves in the ear. Hearing loss can be fully caused by this damage. But your symptoms can be compounded because diabetes related nerve damage can make you more susceptible to hearing loss caused by other factors.
- Dementia: a higher risk of dementia has been linked to hearing loss, although it’s unclear what the base cause is. Many of these cases of dementia and also cognitive decline can be slowed, according to research, by using hearing aids.
What’s The Solution?
When you add all of those connected health conditions on top of each other, it can look a little scary. But it’s important to keep one thing in mind: treating your hearing loss can have huge positive impacts. Though scientists and researchers don’t exactly know, for example, why hearing loss and dementia show up together so often, they do know that treating hearing loss can substantially lower your dementia risks.
So no matter what your comorbid condition might be, the best way to go is to have your hearing tested.
Part of an Ecosystem
This is why health care professionals are rethinking the importance of how to treat hearing loss. Your ears are being regarded as a part of your total health profile instead of being a specific and limited issue. In a nutshell, we’re beginning to perceive the body more like an interconnected ecosystem. Hearing loss doesn’t always develop in isolation. So it’s more significant than ever that we address the totality, not to the proverbial pond or the birds in isolation, but to your health as a whole.
