Hearing loss needs to be reconsidered as a major health threat

Damage runs deep

I have a friend named Paul who first noticed hearing loss before he turned 40.

He didn’t think much of it at the time, but eventually his doctor sent him to a specialist who confirmed that he had damage to his inner ears. Too much loud rock’n’roll when he was young, and too many daily decibels while living in New York City had apparently taken a toll.

That was the bad news.

The even worse news: His hearing would probably degenerate over the years.

Two decades later, Paul is doing his best to cope with the annoyance of voices almost always sounding muffled. And if that were the only problem associated with his hearing loss, that would be plenty enough.

Now, new research suggests that hearing loss might actually be a warning sign that a very serious health threat is underway.

Loud, but not clear

Between 1990 and 1994, Johns Hopkins researchers gave hearing tests to nearly 640 dementia-free subjects, aged 36 to 90. Then they followed the development of dementia until 2008.

Results showed a clear link between hearing loss and dementia risk, including Alzheimer’s disease. And the results were linear, so the more severe the hearing loss, the greater the risk of developing dementia.

The study doesn’t conclude that hearing loss actually contributes to dementia. But the researchers suggest this might be so in cases where hearing difficulty causes social isolation or mental exhaustion — two conditions that may contribute to dementia, especially when they’re combined.

The possibility of nerve cell damage could also offer a clue to what’s behind this link.

In HealthDay News, neurologist Richard B. Lipton, M.D., explains that damaged nerve cells means that some of the inner ear structure is disabled. This disrupts patterns of vibrations that the inner mechanisms of the ear require to produce sound.

Dr. Lipton: “If there’s damage to the neurons that mediate hearing, that may be a kind of marker for similar damage to nerve cells involved in memory and higher cognition.”

Bottom line: Hearing loss should be considered a health threat — and a potentially major one.

As I’ve told you before, folate and vitamin B-12 deficiencies may aggravate hearing loss. Some cases are linked to zinc deficiency. Research has shown that ginkgo biloba supplements may relieve some symptoms.

Extended use of powerful drugs such as chemotherapy, antibiotics and intravenous diuretics can also lead to hearing loss.

If diminished hearing has become a nuisance in your life, it’s time to consider it a red flag instead of just an annoyance. But before you talk to your doctor, you can go here to find out how to address the looming risk of dementia before it’s too late.

Sources:
“Hearing Loss and Incident Dementia” Archives of Neurology, Vol. 68, No. 2, February 2011, archneur.ama-assn.org

“Study Suggests Hearing Loss-Dementia Link” Alan Mozes, HealthDay News, 2/14/11, healthday.com