Your body and an ecosystem have some similarities. In nature, all of the birds and fish will suffer if something happens to the pond; and when the birds go away so too do all of the animals and plants that depend on those birds. The human body, commonly unbeknownst to us, operates on very similar principles of interconnectedness. That’s why something that appears isolated, like hearing loss, can be linked to a large number of other ailments and diseases.
This is, in a way, evidence of the interdependence of your body and it’s resemblance to an ecosystem. When something affects your hearing, it may also impact your brain. These situations are identified as comorbid, a fancy (and specialized) name that illustrates a connection between two disorders without necessarily articulating a cause-and-effect connection.
We can learn a lot regarding our bodies’ ecosystem by understanding disorders that are comorbid with hearing loss.
Hearing Loss And The Conditions That Are Linked to it
So, let’s suppose that you’ve been recognizing the symptoms of hearing loss for the past several months. You’ve been having a difficult time making out what people are saying when you go out to eat. Your television’s volume is getting louder and louder. And certain sounds just feel a little more distant. It would be a smart 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 a number of other health problems. Comorbidity with hearing loss has been documented with the following health problems.
- Dementia: neglected hearing loss has been connected to a higher chance of dementia, although the root cause of that relationship is not clear. Many of these incidents of dementia and also cognitive decline can be slowed, according to research, by wearing hearing aids.
- Diabetes: likewise, your entire nervous system can be negatively influenced by diabetes (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 diabetes-related nerve damage can also make you more susceptible to hearing loss caused by other factors, often compounding your symptoms.
- Depression: a whole range of concerns can be caused by social isolation because of hearing loss, many of which are related to your mental health. So depression and anxiety, not surprisingly, have been shown in study after study, to have a high rate of comorbidity with hearing loss.
- Vertigo and falls: your inner ear is your principal tool for balance. There are some types of hearing loss that can wreak havoc with your inner ear, causing dizziness and vertigo. Falls are progressively more dangerous as you age and falls can happen whenever someone loses their balance
- Cardiovascular disease: occasionally hearing loss has nothing to do with cardiovascular disease. In other cases, cardiovascular problems can make you more susceptible to hearing loss. That’s because one of the initial signs of cardiovascular disease is trauma to the blood vessels in the inner ear. Your hearing might suffer as a result of that trauma.
What’s The Answer?
When you stack all of those connected health conditions added together, it can look a bit scary. But one thing should be kept in mind: enormous positive impact can be gained by dealing with your hearing loss. Even though scientists and researchers don’t really know, for instance, why dementia and hearing loss show up together so often, they do know that treating hearing loss can dramatically lower your risk of dementia.
So regardless of what your comorbid condition may be, the best course of action is to have your hearing checked.
Part of an Ecosystem
This is the reason why health care professionals are rethinking the importance of how to treat hearing loss. Your ears are being viewed as a part of your total health profile rather than being a targeted and limited concern. We’re beginning to think about the body as an interconnected environment in other words. Hearing loss doesn’t necessarily arise in isolation. So it’s important to pay attention to your health as a whole.