Important insight into your state of health is provided by a hearing test. Hearing tests can sometimes uncover other health issues because the ears are so sensitive. What will a hearing exam tell you about your health.
A Hearing Exam, What is it?
There are various kinds of hearing tests, but the standard evaluation involves putting on earphones and listening to a series of sounds. In order to detect the depth of your hearing loss, the hearing specialist will play the tones at various pitches and volumes.
In order to make sure you hear sounds accurately, another hearing test will play words in one ear and you will repeat them back. To see what kind of sounds influence your ability to hear, background noise is sometimes added to this test. Tests are usually done in each ear individually to get a proper measurement for each side.
What is The Significance of Hearing Test Results?
Whether somebody has hearing loss, and the extent of it, is what the standard hearing test determines. Normal hearing in adults with minor loss of hearing is 25 decibels or less. Using this test specialist can find out if the hearing loss is:
- Moderate
- Severe
- Mild
- Profound
- Moderate to severe
The decibel level of the hearing loss defines the level of damage.
Do Hearing Tests Measure Anything Else?
Other hearing tests can evaluate the thresholds of air and bone conduction, viability of the structures in the middle ear like the eardrum, type of hearing loss, and a person’s ability to hear clearly when background noise is present.
But hearing examinations can also reveal other health problems including:
- Rheumatoid arthritis. Hearing loss is 300% percent more likely in people with RA..
- And, Otosclerosis, which if caught early enough, has the possibility of being reversed.
- Heart and circulation issues. The inner ear has one blood vessel, and that makes it more susceptible to alterations in blood pressure and cholesterol.
- Dizziness, vertigo, and other issues associated with Meniere’s disease.
- Diabetes. Impaired blood vessels, like the ones in the inner ear, can theoretically be damaged by too much sugar in the blood.
- Extreme headaches and pain in the joints triggered by Paget’s disease.
The hearing specialist will take all the information revealed by hearing tests and use it to figure out whether you are suffering from:
- Damage from chronic infections or disease
- Age related hearing loss
- A different medical issue causing the hearing loss like high blood pressure
- Unusual bone growths
- Injury caused by exposure to ototoxic chemicals or medications, loud noises
- Tumors
- Injury from trauma
You can look for ways to protect your health and manage your loss of hearing once you discover why you have it.
A preemptive plan to lower the risks caused by loss of hearing will be put together by the specialist after examining the results of the test.
If You Ignore Hearing Loss, What Are The Risks?
Medical science is starting to realize how hearing loss impacts a person’s health and quality of life. Researchers from Johns Hopkins monitored 636 individuals over 12 years. They found that those with loss of hearing have an increased risk of dementia. The more significant the hearing loss, the higher the risk.
Double the risk of dementia comes with moderate loss of hearing, based on this study. A moderate loss means three times the risk, and severe hearing impairment increases the risk by five.
There is evidence of social decline with loss of hearing, as well. People who have difficulty following discussions will avoid engaging in them. That can lead to more alone time and less time with family and friends.
A hearing test might clarify a recent bout of exhaustion, as well. In order to comprehend what you hear, the brain needs to do work. It needs to work harder to detect and translate sound when there is loss of hearing. That robs your other senses of energy and makes you feel tired all the time.
Finally, the National Council on Aging states there is a clear correlation between depression and hearing loss, especially, when left untreated, age related hearing loss.
Treating hearing loss, with hearing aids or other hearing technology, can minimize or even eliminate these risks, and a hearing test is the initial step for proper treatment.
A painless way to find out about your hearing and your health is a professional hearing test so schedule your appointment today.
