Hearing Problems Include Other Comorbid Health Problems
People are often unaware of the term comorbidity. All that this means is that there are more than one medical conditions present in a single patient. Hearing loss is often seen as a single medical problem, but it can actually be an indicator of other underlying health problems as well.
One of the comorbid diseases that come hand in hand with hearing loss is cardiovascular disease. This can range from hypertension to more severe heart ailments. Loss of hearing often results from poor blood circulation occurring from problems within the heart. Your delicate hair follicles of the inner ear need an oxygen-enriched blood supply in order to function properly. Heart disease restricts this blood supply to the ears, which can result in hearing loss.
Another disease that often accompanies hearing loss is diabetes. Type 1 diabetes inhibits the creation of insulin while type 2 results in increased glucose levels in the blood due to the inability of cells to use the insulin properly. Recent studies have found links that suggest that hearing loss may accompany diabetes.
Ototoxic medications are often a known cause of hearing loss. Those with cancer are often prescribed these ototoxic medications such as Cisplatin, which can result in absolute deafness. Using ototoxic medications to treat cancer may cause damage to the delicate hair follicles within your inner ear, resulting in hearing loss.
Another comorbid condition that is known to have links with hearing loss is dementia. Hearing loss often places additional burden on the brain to decipher sound impulses using limited sound signals. Constant strain on the brain due to hearing loss can result in dementia over time.
People wait far too long, often as long as a decade before they finally treat hearing loss. This puts them at severe risk of developing other health ailments such as the ones mentioned above. It also puts them at risk of injuries sustained due to falling. If you or a loved one has hearing loss, do not delay treatment. Your overall health depends on it.