Hearing tests give invaluable information about your health. Because ears are so sensitive, hearing tests can potentially detect early signs of other health problems. What will a hearing test tell you about your health.
A Hearing Exam, What is it?
Out of the various types of hearing exams, putting on earphones and listening to a series of tones is the basic assessment. In order to detect the depth of your hearing loss, the hearing expert will play the tones at different volumes and pitches.
In order to make sure you hear sounds accurately, another hearing test will play words in one ear and you will repeat them back. Sometimes, this test is purposely done with background noise to see whether that affects your ability to hear. Tests are often done in each ear individually to get a proper measurement for each side.
What is The Significance of Hearing Test Results?
Ultimately, an ordinary hearing test determines whether someone has hearing loss and how bad it is. Normal hearing in adults with minor loss of hearing is 25 decibels or less. Using this test expert can figure out if the loss of hearing is:
- Profound
- Moderate
- Severe
- Moderate to severe
- Mild
The decibel level of the hearing loss defines the level of impairment.
What Else do Hearing Tests Measure?
There are also test that can determine the viability of structures of the middle ear like the eardrum, how well someone hears with background noise, the threshold of air and bone conduction, and the kind of hearing loss.
But hearing assessments can also reveal other health concerns such as:
- Meniere’s disease and other problems with dizziness and vertigo.
- Diabetes. It’s thought that too much sugar in the blood can injure blood vessels like the one that goes to the inner ear.
- Rheumatoid arthritis. Hearing loss is 300% percent more likely in people with RA..
- Paget’s disease, which can cause severe headaches and pain in the joints and bones.
- And, Otosclerosis, which if diagnosed early enough, has the possibility of being reversed.
- Heart and circulation problems. The inner ear has one blood vessel, which makes it more susceptible to fluctuations in blood pressure and cholesterol.
The information from the hearing exam can be used by the expert to figure out if you suffer from the following:
- Damage from exposure to loud noises, ototoxic chemicals or medications
- Tumors
- Abnormal bone growths
- Age related hearing loss
- Damage from trauma
- Damage from chronic disease or infections
- A different medical issue causing the hearing loss like high blood pressure
You can look for ways to safeguard your health and manage your hearing loss once you recognize why you have it.
The hearing expert will also examine the results of the examination to determine risk factors caused by your hearing loss and create a preemptive plan to lessen those risks.
If You Ignore Hearing Loss, What Are The Risk Factors?
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 people with hearing loss have a greater risk of dementia. The risk increases with more substantial hearing loss.
Twice the risk of dementia comes with moderate hearing loss, based on this study. Three times the risk comes with moderate loss of hearing and five times the risk with severe hearing loss.
Also, social decline is apparent in people with hearing loss. People will avoid conversations if they have difficulty following them. Less time with friends and family and more alone time can be the outcome.
A recent bout of fatigue may also be explained by a hearing test. In order to comprehend what you hear, the brain needs to do work. It needs to work harder to perceive and interpret sound when there is loss of hearing. That robs your other senses of energy and leaves you feeling tired all the time.
Finally, the National Council on Aging reports there is a clear correlation between depression and hearing loss, particularly age-related hearing loss when it is left untreated.
Treating hearing loss, with hearing aids or other hearing technology, can eliminate or mitigate these risks, and the first step for correct treatment is a hearing test.
A painless way to learn about your hearing and your health is a professional hearing test so schedule your appointment today.