Hearing loss can occur alongside other health conditions in the body. Chronic health conditions that are often present together include hearing loss, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. A health condition may be putting you at risk for hearing loss. Or hearing loss may play a role in another medical condition such as depression.
Why is hearing loss linked to other conditions?
You may have heard the word comorbid, meaning two health conditions exist at the same time. In this article, we focus on hearing loss and diseases or conditions that are commonly present at the same time. A secondary health concern, such as diabetes, will be referred to as a comorbidity.
Our hearing has been called “the window to the body.” That’s because hearing is connected to many other systems including the brain, nerves, blood flow and balance.
Comorbid conditions can impact hearing by:
- Disrupting the connection to blood flow and circulation to the inner ear.
- Requiring medications that are ototoxic (harmful to the ear).
- Damaging nerves.
The six main hearing comorbid health conditions are:
- Arthritis
- Cardiovascular disease
- Balance problems
- Dementia
- Depression
- Diabetes
The effects of comorbidity can be both physical and mental. If you have questions about how your hearing and a comorbid condition, speak with an Audiologist.
Arthritis
If you’re living with arthritis, you are at risk of developing hearing loss. And while the disease may affect the systems needed for hearing, often it’s the drugs used for arthritis treatment that are the culprit behind hearing loss.
People with arthritis may experience hearing loss from the disease or from the drugs used for treatment. Causes may include:
- Arthritis can harm the cochlea and small bones, joints and cartilage of the inner ear.
- Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) can increase the chance of autoimmune inner ear disease (AIED).
- High doses of aspirin, ibuprofen, or acetaminophen.
- Long-term use of arthritis medications.
Balance problems
People with hearing loss do not always have problems with balance. However, two health conditions – Menière’s disease and Labyrinthitis – can affect balance and cause hearing loss.
Meniere’s disease is a long-term, progressive illness that damages the organs of the inner ear responsible for hearing and balance.
Symptoms of Meniere’s disease:
- Long episodes of vertigo
- Hearing loss
- Pressure
- Loud tinnitus in the affected ear
In the early stages, hearing sensitivity may recover after each episode. As the disease progresses, hearing loss almost always reaches profound levels rendering the ear functionally deaf.
Labyrinthitis occurs when the inner ear becomes infected, potentially when a cold, flu or middle ear infection spreads. The labyrinth is composed of tissue and bone in the inner ear that allows us to balance.
Labyrinthitis can cause nausea, tinnitus, vertigo and hearing loss if the infection is severe and left untreated. See your physician if you are experiencing symptoms.
Cardiovascular disease
Cardiovascular disease (also known as heart disease) occurs when blood vessels are blocked or narrow. The inner ear is sensitive to changes in blood flow.
If circulation is poor or blood flow is restricted, the inner ear will become damaged over time.
Cardiovascular disease most often results in sensorineural hearing loss. While this type of hearing loss is permanent, hearing aids can improve help.
Dementia
There have been instances where what was assumed to be symptoms of the early stages of dementia in a loved one turned out to be hearing loss.
Hearing loss can make it difficult to:
- Understand speech
- Follow conversations
- Find the right words
- Process how words fit together
Hearing loss is tiring. The brain and body must expend a lot of energy dealing with hearing loss. By the end of the day, this fatigue can result in lower cognitive function. This behaviour can appear like sundowning, further reinforcing a suspicion of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.
A study on hearing loss and cognitive function found that hearing aids had clinically significant effects on working memory, visual attention, and visual learning. Treating hearing loss as early as possible improves memory, communication, and other skills that help us in daily life.
Depression
Studies have shown a link between hearing loss and moderate to severe depression. Hearing loss may worsen depression by creating:
- Difficulty communicating with friends, family, or at work.
- Gradual withdrawal from activities.
- Isolation from others.
- Anxiety in loud or social situations.
- A feeling of lost connection with the world of sound.
For this reason, manage hearing loss as early as possible before social isolation or social withdrawal occur.
Diabetes
Diabetes and hearing loss often go hand-in-hand. Diabetes and hearing loss are often called silent partners. Unfortunately, hearing testing is overlooked frequently in routine diabetes care.
Hearing depends on small blood vessels and nerves in the inner ear. Over time, high blood glucose levels can damage these vessels and nerves, diminishing hearing.
Research shows that people with diabetes are twice as likely to have hearing loss, potentially at a younger age. Anyone with pre-diabetes symptoms or a diabetes diagnosis has their hearing screened regularly.
For some, there can be a tendency to treat a primary condition and not treat the hearing loss because it feels like “too much to deal with.” We strongly encourage treatment of hearing loss because it improves communication and physical and mental health and wellbeing.
Call us or request an appointment online to schedule an appointment: Broadmead Hearing Clinic: 250-479-2969 or Oak Bay Hearing Clinic: 250-479-2921.