Hearing tests supply invaluable information about your health. Hearing tests can sometimes detect other health concerns because the ears are so sensitive. What will a hearing examination tell you about your health.
A Hearing Exam, What is it?
Out of the various varieties of hearing tests, putting on earphones and listening to a series of tones is the basic examination. In order to discover the depth of your hearing loss, the hearing specialist will play the tones at different volumes and pitches.
Another common hearing test includes listening to words in one ear and repeating them back to make sure you were capable of interpreting sounds correctly. In some cases, this test is purposely done with background sound to find out whether that affects your hearing. Tests are commonly done in each ear separately to get a proper measurement for each side.
What do Hearing Test Results Mean?
Ultimately, a typical hearing test pinpoints whether a person has hearing loss and how bad it is. Adults with minor hearing loss, 25 decibels or less, are considered to have normal hearing. Using this test expert can find out if the hearing loss is:
- Profound
- Moderate to severe
- Mild
- Severe
- Moderate
The amount of impairment is based on the decibel level of the hearing loss.
Do Hearing Tests Evaluate 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 distinctly when there is background noise.
But hearing examinations can also uncover other health concerns such as:
- Severe headaches and pain in the joints triggered by Paget’s disease.
- Diabetes. Damaged blood vessels, such as the ones in the inner ear, can theoretically be injured by too much sugar in the blood.
- Meniere’s disease and other problems with dizziness and vertigo.
- Rheumatoid arthritis. Studies show that people with RA are as much as 300 percent more likely to have hearing loss.
- Heart and circulation issues. The inner ear has one blood vessel, and that makes it more susceptible to changes in blood pressure and cholesterol.
- Otosclerosis, which if diagnosed early can possibly be reversed.
The insight from the hearing test can be used by the specialist to figure out if you suffer from the following:
- Tumors
- Irregular bone growths
- Damage caused by exposure to ototoxic chemicals or medications, loud noises
- Injury from trauma
- Injury from chronic infections or disease
- A different medical problem causing the hearing loss like high blood pressure
- Hearing loss related to aging
Once you recognize why you have hearing loss, you can look for ways to manage it and to protect your general health.
A preemptive plan to lessen the risks caused by loss of hearing will be put together by the expert after evaluating the results of the test.
If You Ignore Hearing Loss, What Are The Risks?
Medical science is beginning to understand how hearing loss impacts a person’s health and quality of life. Researchers from Johns Hopkins kept track of 636 individuals over 12 years. They found that an increased risk of dementia comes with hearing loss. The risk increases with more substantial hearing loss.
Two times 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 stay away from conversations if they have difficulty following them. Less time with friends and family and more alone time can be the outcome.
A hearing test could clarify a recent bout of exhaustion, also. The brain works to translate sound, so you can comprehend what you hear. When there is hearing loss, it will have to work harder to detect sound and interpret it. That robs your other senses of energy and makes you feel tired all the time.
Finally, the National Council on Aging reports there is a clear correlation between hearing loss and depression, particularly, 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 the initial step for proper treatment is a hearing test.
A painless way to find out about your hearing and your health is an expert hearing test so schedule your appointment today.
