Southwest Florida's Health and Wellness Magazine Health and Wellness Articles
By Dr. Noël Crosby, Au.D.
It is well known that aging is related to hearing loss. However, Parkinson’s disease also affects the cochlea, which is the sensory organ of hearing. The important neurotransmitter dopamine, the absence of which causes Parkinson’s disease, helps to protect the cochlea from noise exposure. Inadequate dopamine can thus lead to damage to the cochlea and result in hearing loss.
Even though the most common causes of hearing loss are excessive noise and ageing, both causing dead or damaged hair cells in the inner ear, many people also suffer from hearing impairment due to other diseases associated with muscle degeneration.
The types of hearing loss are mostly defined by the cause or the character of the hearing loss. But the two major types of hearing loss are sensorineural hearing loss and conductive hearing loss. The other types of hearing loss are either sub-types or a combination of one of the two. A sensorineural hearing loss is related to hearing problems in the inner ear, whereas a conductive hearing loss is related to problems with conducting sound into the inner ear.
Keeping an eye on developing certain health conditions is a part of the aging process everyone faces at some point, whether it’s heart disease, dementia, or diabetes. But with more than 1 million confirmed cases and 60,000 patients in the U.S. diagnosed a year, Parkinson’s disease is another potential concern that shouldn’t be overlooked. Fortunately, mounting research is providing the medical community with a better understanding of how doctors can treat the neurological condition and any red flags that could help them detect and diagnose it as soon as possible. And according to a new study, two particular symptoms could be the first signs of Parkinson’s disease.
Allison Inserro writes Epilepsy, Hearing Loss Might Signal Future PD Diagnosis, published on March 10, 2022 in the American Journal of Managed Care. “Researchers said two additional warning signs of Parkinson disease (PD) may be the onset of hearing loss and epilepsy years before the hallmark features of the disease appear, adding new weight to the idea that the neurological condition has a long prodromal phase.
The study was carried out in London, where everyone has access to universal health care and where investigators were able to delineate which manifestations and issues led patients to visit primary care in the decade before receiving a PD diagnosis.”
Being able to hear, and engage with the world, is key to a healthy outlook on life; and an increased feeling of well-being. Regardless if hearing aids other hearing assistive devices are needed, it is always a good idea to have your hearing checked periodically or as soon as you notice a loss of hearing, especially if it is a sudden loss.
Untreated hearing loss can cause a person to lose confidence, withdraw socially, become isolated or even depressed. What appears to be memory loss or dementia may be hearing loss. Depending on the cause of the hearing loss, a person’s balance may be affected. Trying to get a loved one to see a hearing specialist and face their hearing loss isn’t always easy but it’s the right thing to do.
Advanced Hearing Solutions
Using the latest and most sophisticated technology, we determine if you have hearing loss–and, if you do, we determine the degree and type of hearing loss. If your hearing loss requires medical or surgical intervention, we can refer you to a physician (otologist or neurologist) for appropriate treatment. If your type of hearing loss can best be treated with the use of hearing aids and/or other assistive listening devices (which is true in the great majority of cases), we can select any of a wide range of hearing devices and custom fit them to your ear, programmed to augment your hearing at those frequency levels where your hearing loss is greatest.
Call Advanced Hearing Solutions today at (941) 474-8393.
