The body is a complex, interconnected system that runs automatically without our effort or intervention. Your brain and body work together to keep you healthy, fight off infections, and maintain your overall physical and mental health. Your ears are part of this system, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that your hearing can be affected by many factors such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, or a stroke. Osteoporosis has also been linked to hearing loss.
Osteoporosis and Hearing Loss
Osteoporosis is a degenerative disease that affects bone health. As the disease progresses, the bones become weak and you’ll have an increased chance of a fall or accident that could result in a bone fracture or break. You may experience pain, and will feel less stable as the disease advances.
A recent study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism found that those with osteoporosis are 40% more likely to develop sudden hearing loss than adults without osteoporosis. The study tested over 65,000 adults over the age of 50. Researchers looked for occurrences of sudden hearing loss, and found that those with osteoporosis has a much higher risk of damaged hearing. Another study in Taiwan discovered the same connection between hearing and bone health. They looked at health records for over 40,000 adults and found that those who’d been diagnosed with osteoporosis were far more likely to develop a sudden hearing loss.
How Age Affects Osteoporosis and Hearing Loss
Researchers found that sudden hearing loss in those with osteoporosis also increased with age. This isn’t surprising, since osteoporosis worsens over time, creating a higher risk for comorbid conditions such as sudden hearing loss. Hearing loss is also more common among older adults, so seniors with osteoporosis are at a higher risk of sudden hearing loss and should take extra precautions by being on the lookout for signs of hearing loss.
Linking Osteoporosis and Sudden Hearing Loss
While both these studies show a clear link between instances of sudden hearing loss and osteoporosis, it’s still unclear as to why these two conditions are related. Researchers hypothesize that the cardiovascular risk factors associated with osteoporosis could have an impact on the ear. When the heart isn’t pumping blood effectively, certain systems may face oxygen deprivation, and the ears are often one of the systems that don’t receive enough blood flow. The delicate cells in the inner ear risk damage or even death, and an instance of prolonged oxygen deprivation to the ears could lead to sudden hearing loss.
Other links could be the bone demineralization that occurs in osteoporosis, as well as the risk of inflammation caused by the bone disease. Inflammation of the ear can quickly lead to hearing damage, and this hearing loss could be permanent even after the inflammation is under control.
Treating Osteoporosis
If you have osteoporosis, it’s important to stay in regular contact with your family physician to monitor the situation. You and your doctor should also be on the lookout for signs of hearing loss. Sudden hearing loss will usually appear in one or both ears, and can worsen over a period of a few days.
Treating Hearing Loss with My Hearing Centers
If you’ve recently experienced sudden hearing loss, don’t wait another day, but visit us at My Hearing Centers as soon as possible. We’ll perform a comprehensive hearing test to determine what’s causing your hearing loss, as well as a visual exam to look for signs of any illness, infection, inflammation, or buildup of earwax that could affect your hearing health.
After the hearing test, we’ll work together to find the perfect solution for your hearing needs, and find the device that will fit seamlessly into your life to give you back your hearing. We have hearing solutions for sudden hearing loss and single sided hearing loss, as well as devices designed for hearing loss in both ears. Whether you want a sleek behind the ear device or a nearly invisible in the canal hearing aid, we have a range of styles to suit every lifestyle. With advanced features like directionality microphones and speech enhancement, and programs that allow Bluetooth connectivity to your smartphone, we have the hearing aids that will help you hear, whatever your hearing needs. Visit us today and start your journey to clear hearing.