In this article, I want to describe more than 10 points that connect ears to our health. Naturally, all of them have been scientifically demonstrated. The good news comes with hearing aids because with it there are no more identified over-risks compared to people without a hearing loss, all things equal otherwise.
« The seeds of healthy aging are sown early. »
Kofi Annan
Cognitive decline
Those with hearing loss experience a 30-40% greater decline in thinking abilities compared to those without hearing loss. Adults with uncorrected hearing loss are more likely to develop dementia or memory problems.
Fall
Safety/balance people with mild hearing loss (25dbHL) are 3 times more likely to have a history of falling. Every additional 10 decibels of hearing loss increases the chances of falling by 1.4 times.
Depression
Uncorrected hearing loss gives rise to poorer quality of life, isolation and reduced social activity, leading to depression.
Tinnitus
90% of people with tinnitus also have hearing loss. Tinnitus affects 1 in 5 people and can be caused by hearing loss, an ear injury or a circulatory system disorder.
Diabets
Hearing loss is twice as common in people with diabetes compared to those without. 70% of diabetics aged 50 to 69 have hearing loss in high frequencies. Adults whose blood glucose is higher than normal but not enough for a diabetes diagnosis, have a 30% higher rate of hearing loss compared to those with normal blood sugar.
Heart health
The inner ear is extremely sensitive to blood flow. Studies show that a healthy cardiovascular system – a person’s heart, arteries, and veins – has a positive effect on hearing. Inadequate blood flow and trauma to the blood vessels of the inner ear can contribute to hearing loss.
Smoking
Current smokers have a 70% higher risk of having hearing loss than nonsmokers.
Hypertension
There is a significant association between high blood pressure and hearing loss. Hypertension can be an accelerating factor of hearing loss in older adults.
Obesity
Higher body mass index (BMI) and larger circumference are associated with increased risk of hearing loss in women.
Ototoxicity
They are more than 200 medications on the market today that are known to cause hearing loss (toxic to the ears). The list of known ototoxic drugs includes: Aspirin, Quinine, Water pills, some anticancer drugs, some anesthetics, environnement chemicals, etc.
Eye Health
Vision helps you identify where a sound is coming from. If you have vision and hearing loss, your ability to target sound location is compromised. The amplification from hearing aids helps compensate for the vision loss.
Osteoporosis
A study linked osteoporosis and hearing loss, theorizing that demineralization of the three middle ear bones may contribute to conductive hearing impairment.
Isolation
Adults 50 years and olders with untreated hearing loss are more likely to report depression, anxiety, anger and frustration, emotional instability and paranoia, than those who wear hearing aids.
Sources for this article :
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