Your body and an ecosystem are similar in some ways. In the natural world, if there’s a problem with the pond, all of the birds and fish are impacted as well; and all of the plants and animals that depend on the birds will disappear if the birds disappear. The human body, commonly unbeknownst to us, works on very comparable methods of interconnection. That’s the reason why something that appears isolated, such as hearing loss, can be linked to a wide variety of other ailments and diseases.
In a way, that’s simply more evidence of your body’s ecosystem-like interdependence. Your brain may also be affected if something affects your hearing. These conditions are identified as comorbid, a fancy (and specialized) label that demonstrates a connection between two disorders without necessarily articulating a cause-and-effect relationship.
We can discover a lot about our bodies’ ecosystem by comprehending disorders that are comorbid with hearing loss.
Conditions Associated With Hearing Loss
So, let’s assume that you’ve been noticing the symptoms of hearing loss for the past few months. It’s more difficult to follow conversations in restaurants. You’ve been turning the volume up on your television. And certain sounds just seem a little more distant. It would be a good choice at this point to make an appointment with a hearing professional.
Whether you’re aware of it or not, your hearing loss is linked to several other health issues. Comorbidity with hearing loss has been documented with the following health ailments.
- Diabetes: likewise, diabetes can wreak havoc with your nervous system all over your body (specifically in your extremities). one of the areas particularly likely to be harmed are the nerves in the ear. This damage can cause hearing loss by itself. But your symptoms can be compounded because diabetes related nerve damage can cause you to be more prone to hearing loss caused by other factors.
- Dementia: neglected hearing loss has been linked to a higher risk of dementia, though it’s unclear what the base cause is. Research indicates that using a hearing aid can help slow down cognitive decline and lower many of these dementia risks.
- Cardiovascular disease: hearing loss and cardiovascular conditions are not necessarily connected. But at times hearing loss can be worsened by cardiovascular disease. The explanation for this is that trauma to the blood vessels of the inner ear is one of the first symptoms of cardiovascular disease. Your hearing might suffer as a result of the of that trauma.
- Depression: social isolation associated with hearing loss can cause a whole host of concerns, some of which relate to your mental health. So it’s not surprising that study after study confirms anxiety and depression have really high comorbidity rates with hearing loss.
- Vertigo and falls: your inner ear is your primary tool for balance. There are some types of hearing loss that can wreak 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 can become increasingly hazardous.
Is There Anything That You Can do?
It can seem a little intimidating when you add all those health conditions together. But it’s important to keep one thing in mind: treating your hearing loss can have enormous positive influences. Scientists and researchers recognize that if hearing loss is managed, the chance of dementia dramatically lowers even though they don’t really know precisely why hearing loss and dementia show up together in the first place.
So no matter what your comorbid condition might be, the best course of action is to get your hearing examined.
Part of an Ecosystem
This is why health care specialists are reconsidering the importance of how to treat hearing loss. Your ears are being considered as a part of your general health profile instead of being a specific and limited issue. In other words, we’re beginning to perceive the body more like an interrelated ecosystem. Hearing loss doesn’t necessarily happen in isolation. So it’s more significant than ever that we pay attention to the totality, not to the proverbial pond or the birds in isolation, but to your health as a whole.