Our bodies are a complex network of systems and pathways, and this intricate network can connect aspects of our health in surprising ways. One such connection that is the subject of much scientific research is the connection between hearing loss and arthritis. Read on to find out more.
First, The Basics:
Arthritis
Arthritis is a disease that causes damage to your joints. It’s incredibly common, with prevalence increasing in people older than 50 and affecting over half of adults older than 75.
Arthritis is characterized by inflammation and stiffness in the tissues surrounding our joints, which can be very painful. It can affect any joint where two bones meet, but it’s most often seen in the hands, fingers, wrists, knees, hips, feet and ankles. These places may see inflammation or even degeneration of the joints.
There are over 100 different types of arthritis, but the most common ones are:
- Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis. Our joints have a layer of cartilage that acts like a cushion for the bones moving against each other. This cartilage breaks down naturally as we age, causing the bones to grind against each other.
- Inflammatory arthritis is an autoimmune disease that causes your immune system to mistakenly attack healthy joint tissue. Rheumatoid arthritis is a subtype of inflammatory arthritis.
Hearing Loss
Hearing loss can occur due to many different causes, and that is because our hearing is so complex. Essentially, our ear gathers sound information, but it’s our brain that perceives sound.
The outer ear funnels sound waves into the middle ear, which amplifies them and carries them into the inner ear. There, they are changed into electric signals, transmitted to the brain and interpreted as sound. Any interruption in the communication between the ear and the brain can affect how you hear.
The three main types of hearing loss are:
- Sensorineural hearing loss, which occurs due to damage to the inner ear. This type of damage means sound information reaches the brain incompletely or not at all.
- Conductive hearing loss, which occurs due to damage to the outer or middle ear. This type of damage means sound information isn’t conducted to the inner ear properly.
- Mixed hearing loss, which is a combination of both sensorineural and conductive hearing loss.
Can Arthritis Cause Hearing Loss?
Because there are so many different types of arthritis and so many different types of hearing loss, there is no one-size-fits-all answer to whether and how arthritis causes hearing loss. Some prominent theories include:
- Inflammatory arthritis, such as rheumatoid arthritis, attacks healthy tissue in the inner ear, causing sensorineural hearing loss.
- Chronic inflammation from inflammatory arthritis damages the nerves that send signals to the brain, causing sensorineural hearing loss.
- Rheumatoid nodules, caused by rheumatoid arthritis, form within the ear, blocking the ear canal and leading to conductive hearing loss.
- Cartilage degenerates in the middle ear due to osteoarthritis, leading to conductive hearing loss.
There are other possible correlations between arthritis and hearing loss, and more research is being done all the time.
Effects of Arthritis Medication on Hearing Health
One of arthritis’s most significant effects on hearing loss is indirect: medication. Many of the medicines commonly used to ease arthritis pain, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol) and ibuprofen (Advil), may be damaging to the inner ear, causing tinnitus or hearing loss. Don’t fret: a single Tylenol isn’t going to make you lose your hearing. However, taking large dosages of these medications over a long period of time may cause some damage, so talk to your doctor if you’re relying on a large dosage of painkillers to mediate arthritis pain; protect your ears and seek a different treatment plan.
How Is Arthritis-Related Hearing Loss Treated?
Hearing loss is usually treatable, and sometimes it’s reversible. If you’re taking ototoxic medications, your hearing may return if you cease taking that medication. Some corticosteroids may help reverse hearing loss related to autoimmune inflammatory arthritis.
If you have any concerns about arthritis and its effect on your hearing health, or about your medications’ effects on your hearing health, you should speak to a hearing health professional right away and schedule a hearing test. Call Audiology Associates of Redding today for more information.