Central Florida Audiology notes hearing loss is not just an ear problem

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Hearing loss can be challenging enough with its profound effect on communication and quality of life, but did you know it can accompany other chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, and dementia? Such comorbidities, or coexisting diseases, make regular hearing checkups even more important to catch potential problems early and address them for overall wellness.

Cognitive Decline

Research has long pointed to links between hearing loss and decreased brain functioning over time. Some of the statistics may surprise you:

• On average, seniors with hearing loss experience significantly reduced cognitive function 3.2 years before their normal-hearing counterparts.

• Hearing-impaired seniors experience thinking and memory problems 30 to 40 percent faster than their normal-hearing counterparts.

• Older adults with a hearing disability may lose over a cubic centimeter of brain tissue annually beyond normal shrinkage.

  Those with hearing loss are two, three, or nearly five times as likely to develop dementia, depending on the severity of their hearing impairment.

The causal relationship between hearing loss and cognitive decline isn’t completely clear, but some research suggests that addressing hearing loss could cut dementia cases by a third. Additionally, struggling to hear conversations in crowded places, asking friends and family to repeat themselves, and feeling exhausted by the effort to understand what others are saying can inspire a voluntary withdrawal from socializing, which can lead to isolation and depression.

Dual Sensory Impairment

It’s probably easy to see that the eyes and ears work together as a team. Both help you perceive the world around you, with hearing even enhancing the sense of sight. They both also help you, in conjunction with your joints, muscles, and brain to stay balanced and steady on your feet. Studies also suggested that dual sensory impairment increases the likelihood of developing dementia and accelerating cognitive decline.

Cardiovascular Disease

Like hearing loss, which affects an estimated 466 million people according to the World Health Organization (WHO), cardiovascular disease is a global public health challenge. It’s the number one cause of death worldwide, with 17.7 million deaths, per WHO estimates, and is also linked to hearing loss.

Exactly how heart disease and hearing loss are connected isn’t yet conclusive in all cases, but researchers have found that:

• Hearing loss is more prevalent among those who have a history of circulatory disorders, such as cardiovascular disease, than among those who don’t.

• Cardiovascular disease can cause decreased hearing sensitivity by restricting blood flow to the structures of the inner ear.

• People with heart disease are 54 percent more likely to experience a hearing loss, according to one study — even more so if they’ve suffered a heart attac

Balance and Falls

Many people don’t realize that hearing and balance are linked, but, in fact, research has shown that falls are much more common among those with hearing loss. If that doesn’t sound particularly serious, keep in mind that falls are the leading cause of injury-related death for seniors over the age of 65, and the second leading cause of unintentional deaths among all age groups worldwide.

Balance and equilibrium are controlled by the body’s vestibular system, involving parts of the brain, eyes, inner ear, and sensory systems, including skin, joints, and muscles. Keeping your hearing in the best shape possible can help reduce the risk of balance issues.
Diabetes

Hearing loss is twice as common among people living with diabetes. Much like presbycusis, or age-related hearing loss, diabetes-connected hearing issues commonly take a toll on higher-frequency hearing, which impairs the ability to understand speech in noisy settings. Diabetes-associated hearing loss could affect one or both ears, may occur suddenly or gradually, and could appear with or without balance problems. As evidence of links between the two conditions continues to grow, it’s recommended that individuals living with diabetes get regular hearing screenings.

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