Do you spend much time considering your nervous system? Most likely not all that regularly. Ordinarily, you wouldn’t have to worry about how your neurons are communicating messages to the nerves of your body. But you will take a closer look when something fails and the nerves start to misfire.
There’s one specific condition, known as Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease, which can impact the nervous system on a relatively large scale, though the symptoms normally manifest chiefly in the extremities. And there’s some evidence that implies that CMT can also lead to high-frequency hearing loss.
Charot-Marie-Tooth Disease, What is it?
Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease is a set of inherited disorders. The protective sheathing around the nerves malfunction due to a genetic condition.
There is a problem with how signals travel between your brain and your nerves. A loss of motor function and sensation can be the outcome.
CMT can be found in several variations and a mixture of genetic considerations normally result in its expressions. For the majority of people with CMT, symptoms begin in the feet and can work their way up into their arms. And, strangely, among those who have CMT, there is a higher rate of occurrence of high-frequency hearing loss.
A Connection Between Hearing Loss And CMT: The Cochlear Nerve
The connection between CMT and loss of hearing has always been colloquially established (that is, everyone knows somebody who has a story about it – at least within the CMT culture). And it was tough to understand the link between loss of sensation in the legs and problems with the ears.
A scientific study firmly established the connection just recently when a group of scientists examined 79 people with CMT at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.
The results were quite decisive. Low to moderate frequencies were heard almost perfectly by those with CMT. But high-frequency sounds (in the moderate region particularly) were effortlessly heard by all of the participants. high-frequency hearing loss, according to this research, is likely to be linked to CMT.
What is The Cause of Hearing Loss And How Can it be Treated?
At first, it may be perplexing to try to figure out the connection between high-frequency hearing loss and CMT. Like all other parts of your body rely on correctly functioning nerves. Your ears are no different.
The theory is, CMT affects the cochlear nerve so noises in the high-frequency range aren’t able to be interpreted. Some sounds, including some voices, will be hard to hear. Trying to understand voices in a crowded noisy room is particularly difficult.
Hearing aids are usually used to manage this kind of hearing loss. There’s no known cure for CMT. Modern hearing aids can select the precise frequencies to boost which can give significant help in battling high-frequency hearing loss. The majority of modern hearing aids can also work well in noisy environments.
Multiple Reasons For Hearing Loss
Further than the unconfirmed hypothesis, it’s still uncertain what the link between high-frequency hearing loss and CMT is. But this kind of hearing loss can be successfully addressed with hearing aids. That’s why countless individuals who have CMT will make time to sit down with a hearing professional and get fitted for a custom hearing aid.
Hearing loss symptoms can occur for many reasons. In some instances, hearing loss is brought about by excessive exposure to harmful sounds. In other situations, hearing loss might be the consequence of an obstruction. It appears that CMT can be still another reason for loss of hearing.