The Hearing Bone’s Connected To What?

By Janice R. Trent, AuD

Hearing Healthcare Services, LLC

. https://hearinghealthcareservices.com/

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The Hearing Bone’s Connected To What?

Once upon a time, before people knew any better, they thought that hearing loss was simply a part of growing older – something not worth doing much about.

They were wrong.

Turns out, hearing loss isn’t fussy about age. More than half of us with hearing loss are still in the workforce. And hearing loss is a much bigger deal than we ever imagined. We need to take it seriously.

As one of the most common chronic health conditions in the United States today, hearing loss affects baby boomers, Gen Xers and every other age group. And, when left unaddressed, hearing loss affects just about every aspect of a person’s life.

The big surprise is that hearing loss has been linked to other health conditions.

Hearing loss can have unwelcome companions – like heart disease, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, depression, cognitive decline, dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, increased risk of falling and increased hospitalizations.

In fact, as studies on the link between hearing loss and other health conditions mount, we’ve begun to see how our ears – and specifically how our hearing – connect to our whole body and health.

Here’s what we know:

Cardiovascular and hearing health are connected. Studies show that a healthy cardiovascular system positively affects hearing. Conversely, inadequate blood flow and trauma to the blood vessels of the inner ear can contribute to hearing loss.

People with diabetes are about twice as likely to have hearing loss as those without it.

Recent studies show a link between hearing loss and dementia, leading many experts to stress the importance of addressing hearing loss. One study found that seniors with hearing loss are significantly more likely to develop dementia over time than those who retain their hearing.

People who don’t address hearing loss are more prone to depression.

Hearing loss is tied to a three-fold risk of falling. One study found that even people with mild hearing loss were nearly three times more likely to have a history of falling.

A study of older adults showed that those with moderate chronic kidney disease had a higher prevalence of hearing loss than those of the same age without the disease.

It seems that the “hearing bone” may be connected to more than we originally thought.

Article excerpted from
http://www.betterhearing.org