Your body and an ecosystem are similar in some ways. In nature, all of the birds and fish will be affected if something goes wrong with the pond; and when the birds go away so too do all of the plants and animals that depend on those birds. We might not recognize it but our body operates on very comparable principals. That’s why something that seems to be isolated, such as hearing loss, can be connected to a large number of other diseases and ailments.
This is, in a sense, proof of the interdependence of your body and it’s resemblance to an ecosystem. Your brain might also be affected if something affects your hearing. These situations are referred to as comorbid, a name that is specialized and signifies when two conditions affect each other but don’t necessarily have a cause and effect connection.
The diseases that are comorbid with hearing loss can give us lots of information about our bodies’ ecosystems.
Conditions Associated With Hearing Loss
So, let’s suppose that you’ve been noticing the signs of hearing loss for the last few months. You’ve been having a difficult time hearing conversation when you go out for a bite. You’ve been cranking the volume up on your television. And certain sounds sound so distant. It would be a good choice at this point to set up an appointment with a hearing specialist.
Your hearing loss is connected to a number of health conditions whether your aware of it or not. Comorbidity with hearing loss has been reported with the following health ailments.
- Depression: social separation associated with hearing loss can cause a whole range of concerns, some of which relate to your mental health. So it’s not surprising that study after study finds anxiety and depression have very high comorbidity rates with hearing loss.
- Diabetes: additionally, diabetes can have a negative affect on your entire body’s nervous system (specifically in your extremities). the nerves in the ear are particularly likely to be harmed. This damage can cause loss of hearing all on its own. But diabetes-related nerve damage can also make you more susceptible to hearing loss caused by other factors, often adding to your symptoms.
- Vertigo and falls: your principal tool for balance is your inner ear. There are some forms of hearing loss that can play havoc with your inner ear, leading to dizziness and vertigo. Falls are increasingly dangerous as you age and falls can happen whenever someone loses their balance
- Dementia: neglected hearing loss has been connected to a higher risk of dementia, although the underlying cause of that relationship is not clear. Research shows that wearing a hearing aid can help slow down cognitive decline and decrease many of these dementia concerns.
- Cardiovascular disease: hearing loss and cardiovascular conditions aren’t always linked. But sometimes hearing loss can be intensified 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 could suffer as a result of the of that trauma.
What’s The Solution?
When you add all of those connected health conditions added together, it can seem a bit intimidating. But it’s important to keep one thing in mind: enormous positive affect can be gained by managing your hearing loss. Scientists and researchers understand that if hearing loss is addressed, the risk of dementia dramatically lowers although they don’t really understand precisely why hearing loss and dementia manifest together to begin with.
So regardless of what your comorbid condition might 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 regarded as a part of your overall health profile rather than being a targeted and limited issue. In other words, we’re beginning to perceive the body more like an interconnected ecosystem. Hearing loss doesn’t necessarily arise in isolation. So it’s relevant to pay attention to your health as a whole.