Logically, it makes sense: those who have worked around high noise levels for many years and have trouble hearing must have a hearing loss that is caused strictly by noise exposure at work, right?

In actuality, other factors can play a role in how much hearing loss a person will have over the course of their lifetime. For example, certain health factors can make one person more susceptible to injurious noise than another. Smoking, diabetes and high blood pressure, for instance, can increase the amount of hearing loss suffered from over-exposure to noise.

The “accumulation of birthdays”, a.k.a, getting older, can also be a factor in the amount of hearing loss a person may have. Genetics can also play a part. So, the cause of one person’s hearing loss will depend on many different factors. This fact is also why two people can work in the same company for the same length of time doing similar jobs and have very different hearing losses.

When hearing loss is due to an over-exposure to noise, a very predictable pattern of hearing loss as well as a somewhat predictable degree of hearing loss will emerge. The amount of loss a person will experience is based on how loud the noise was during the actual exposure itself and how long the exposure lasted.
Long- term studies have been completed with the help of individuals who experienced up to 40 years of sustained noise exposure and with varying levels of noise exposure. The people involved with the studies had a hearing test every year.

The results provided a means of determining the pattern, type and severity of hearing loss that is typical of long-term noise exposure based on the number of years that noise was experienced and the loudness of the noise itself. Researchers found that hearing loss from over- exposure to noise causes a certain and progressive loss of hearing as long as the person continued to be exposed to that noise without the protection that proper earplugs or ear muffs provide.

Interestingly, once someone stops working around noise, the progression of the hearing loss can stop all together. It still is important to protect hearing and be diligent about good health practices.

If you think you have hearing loss due to noise exposure, there are two things to do right away: first, make sure to invest in good ear protection. Using ear protection in any instance of loud noise will make sure that you do not experience more hearing loss due to noise exposure. Second, make an appointment for a hearing evaluation.
This is important because hearing loss due to noise exposure can progress over time, making you unaware of how much you may be missing. We’ll be glad to test your hearing and make suggestions on how to best protect your ears from further damage.

Austin Hearing Services, Inc, 6805 N Capital of Texas Highway, Austin, TX 78731
(512) 851-0847

The Better Hearing Institute has developed a new syndicated article summarizing the link between chronic diseases and hearing loss. It has been released to 15,000 media outlets. This opinion editorial is now available for download. Hearing health professionals may modify the article to promote their practice. Here is the article in its entirety.

(ARA) – Hearing loss isn’t a harmless condition to be ignored. In fact, hearing loss often coexists with other serious health problems. And a growing body of research indicates that there may be a link. Studies show that people with heart disease, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and depression may all have an increased risk of hearing loss.

When left untreated, hearing loss alone can lead to a wide range of physical and emotional conditions. Impaired memory and the impaired ability to learn new tasks, reduced alertness, increased risk to personal safety, irritability, negativism, anger, fatigue, tension and stress are among its more common side effects. But when untreated hearing loss coexists with a chronic illness, the likelihood is all the greater that the individual will experience exacerbated levels of stress and diminished quality of life.

Here’s the good news: Research also indicates that professionally fitted hearing aids can help improve quality of life for people with chronic diseases when hearing loss does coexist.

“In the vast majority of cases, hearing loss can be addressed with hearing aids to help people hear better and improve their quality of life,” says Dr. Sergei Kochkin, executive director of the Better Hearing Institute (BHI).  “I strongly urge anyone with heart disease, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, Alzheimer’s, and/or depression to talk with their doctor and make hearing screenings a routine part of their medical care.”

BHI encourages people to take a free, quick, and confidential online hearing test at www.hearingcheck.org to determine if they need a comprehensive hearing check by a hearing professional. For more information on hearing loss, visit www.betterhearing.org.

The link between hearing loss and certain chronic diseases Numerous studies have long linked untreated hearing loss to diminished psychological and overall health. But an emerging body of research is now revealing a link between hearing loss and other chronic health conditions.

For example, hearing loss is about twice as common in adults with diabetes compared to those who do not have the disease, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Another study, published in the American Journal of Kidney Diseases found that older adults with moderate chronic kidney disease (CKD) have a higher prevalence of hearing loss than those of the same age without CKD.

Other studies have shown that a significantly higher percentage of people with Alzheimer’s disease may have hearing loss than their normally aging peers. In fact, older adults with hearing loss appear more likely to develop dementia, and their risk increases as hearing loss becomes more severe, according to a study published in the Archives of Neurology,. The researchers also found that the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease specifically increased with hearing loss.

The link between unaddressed hearing loss and depression also is compelling. An Italian study found that working adults aged 35 to 55 who were affected by mild to moderate hearing loss in both ears reported higher levels of disability and psychological distress — and lower levels of social functioning — than a well-matched normal control population.

Perhaps the link between cardiovascular disease and hearing loss is the most widely recognized. In a study published in the June 2010 issue of the American Journal of Audiology, the authors reviewed research that had been conducted over the past 60 plus years. They found that the negative influence of impaired cardiovascular health on both the peripheral and central auditory system, and the potential positive influence of improved cardiovascular health on these same systems, was found through a sizable body of research.

“With so much evidence emerging on the potential link between hearing loss and various chronic illnesses, it becomes all the more pressing for people to identify and address hearing loss early on,” Kochkin says. “Talk to your doctor. Get your hearing checked. And be assured that in most cases, today’s state-of-the-art hearing aids, programmed to the specific hearing requirements of the individual, can help people hear better and thereby regain quality of life.”

The Better Hearing Institute is a not-for-profit educational organization whose mission is to educate the public about the loss of hearing, its treatment and prevention. www.betterhearing.org.