How frequently do you contemplate your nervous system? For most individuals, the answer would probably be not that frequently. As long as your body is performing in the way that it should, you’ve no reason to think about how your neurons are firing or whether nerves are sending proper messages through the electrical corridors in your body. But you tend to take a closer look when something isn’t working right and the nerves begin to misfire.
There’s one specific disease, known as Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease, which can affect the nervous system on a relatively large scale, though the symptoms normally manifest chiefly in the extremities. high-frequency hearing loss can also be triggered by CMT according to some evidence.
What Is Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease?
Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease is a set of inherited conditions. In essence, these genetic conditions cause something to go wrong with your nerves or with the protective sheathing around your nerves.
The result is that the impulses sent from your brain to those nerves (and from those nerves back to your brain) don’t work all that well. A loss in motor function and sensation can be the outcome.
CMT can be found in numerous variations and a combination of genetic considerations normally result in its expressions. For most people with CMT, symptoms start in the feet and can work their way up into their arms. And, high-frequency hearing loss, strangely, has a high rate of occurrence in those with CMT.
The Cochlear Nerve: A Link Between CMT and Hearing Loss
The connection between CMT and hearing loss has always been colloquially recognized (that is, everybody knows somebody who has a tells about it – at least within the CMT culture). And it seemed to mystify people who suffered from CMT – the ear didn’t seem all that related to the loss of sensation in the legs, for example.
A scientific study firmly established the connection just recently when a group of researchers examined 79 people with CMT at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.
The results were rather conclusive. Almost everyone with CMT passed their low and moderate frequency hearing tests with flying colors. But all of the participants showed loss of hearing when it came to the high-frequency sounds (usually around the moderate levels). Based on this research, it seems pretty likely that CMT can at least be linked to high-frequency hearing loss.
What is The Cause of Hearing Loss And How Can it be Addressed?
The link between high-frequency hearing loss and CMT may, at first, seem perplexing. Like every other part of your body relies on properly functioning nerves. That’s also the same for your ears.
The hypothesis is, CMT impacts the cochlear nerve so sounds in the high-frequency range aren’t able to be translated. Some sounds, including some voices, will be difficult to hear. Particularly, make out voices in crowded or noisy rooms can be a real challenge.
Hearing aids are commonly used to manage this type of hearing loss. CMT has no known cure. Modern hearing aids can isolate the exact frequencies to amplify which can give significant help in fighting high-frequency hearing loss. Additionally, most modern hearing aids can be adjusted to function well within noisy environments.
There Can be Various Causes For Hearing Loss
Further than the untested hypothesis, it’s still uncertain what the connection between CMT and high-frequency hearing loss. But hearing aid tech provides a definite treatment for the symptoms of that loss of hearing. So making an appointment to get fitted for hearing aids will be a good decision for individuals who have CMT.
Hearing loss symptoms can develop for a number of reasons. In some situations, loss of hearing is triggered by excess exposure to damaging noises. In other situations, loss of hearing may be the consequence of an obstruction. It appears that CMT can be still another cause of loss of hearing.