Your body is similar to an ecosystem. In nature, all of the birds and fish will be affected if something happens to the pond; and when the birds disappear so too do all of the plants and animals that rely on those birds. We may not recognize it but our body functions on very comparable principals. That’s why something which seems isolated, such as hearing loss, can be linked to a wide variety of other ailments and diseases.
This is, in a way, evidence of the interdependence of your body and it’s similarity to an ecosystem. Your brain might also be affected if something affects your hearing. These situations are referred to as comorbid, a name that is specialized and indicates when two ailments affect each other but don’t necessarily have a cause and effect connection.
We can discover a lot concerning our bodies’ ecosystem by comprehending conditions that are comorbid with hearing loss.
Hearing Loss And The Disorders That Are Related to it
So, let’s suppose that you’ve been noticing the symptoms of hearing loss for the last few months. It’s more difficult to follow along with discussions in restaurants. You’ve been cranking up the volume on your tv. And some sounds just feel a bit more distant. When this is the situation, the majority of people will schedule an appointment with a hearing professional (this is the smart thing to do, actually).
Your hearing loss is connected to numerous health conditions whether you recognize it or not. Some of the health conditions that have reported comorbidity with hearing loss include:
- Cardiovascular disease: occasionally hearing loss has nothing to connect it with cardiovascular conditions. But sometimes hearing loss can be aggravated by cardiovascular disease. That’s because one of the initial signs of cardiovascular disease is trauma to the blood vessels in the inner ear. As that trauma gets worse, your hearing might suffer as a result.
- Dementia: a higher risk of dementia has been associated with hearing loss, although the root cause of that relationship is unclear. Many of these cases of dementia and also cognitive decline can be slowed, according to research, by wearing hearing aids.
- Diabetes: similarly, your overall nervous system can be influenced in a negative way by diabetes (especially in your extremities). the nerves in the ear are especially likely to be damaged. Hearing loss can be entirely caused by this damage. But diabetes-related nerve damage can also make you more prone to hearing loss caused by other issues, often compounding your symptoms.
- Depression: a whole host of issues can be the consequence of social isolation due to hearing loss, many of which are related 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.
- Vertigo and falls: your primary tool for balance is your inner ear. Vertigo and dizziness can be created by some types of hearing loss because they have a damaging impact on the inner ear. Falls are progressively more dangerous as you get older and falls can happen whenever someone loses their balance
What’s The Answer?
It can seem a bit scary when you add all those health conditions together. But one thing should be kept in mind: huge positive impact can be gained by dealing with your hearing loss. While scientists and researchers don’t exactly know, for example, why dementia and hearing loss so often show up together, they do know that dealing with hearing loss can dramatically lower your dementia risks.
So the best way to go, regardless of what comorbid condition you might be concerned about, is to get your hearing tested.
Part of an Ecosystem
This is why health care professionals are rethinking the importance of how to manage hearing loss. Instead of being a rather limited and targeted area of concern, your ears are viewed as intimately connected to your general wellness. We’re starting to consider the body as an interconnected environment in other words. Hearing loss isn’t an isolated scenario. So it’s significant to pay attention to your health as a whole.