In order to effectively treat hearing loss, it is important to pinpoint its cause. Reasons for diminished hearing ability can range from excessive noise to earwax (cerumen) blockage to the ingestion of certain medications. Another potential cause of hearing loss that recently came to researchers’ attention is “iron deficiency anemia” (IDA). After examining the medical records of 305,339 adults between the ages of 21 and 90, it was found that IDA increased the odds of several different kinds of hearing loss, including those involving problems with the bones of the middle ear, sensorineural hearing loss (in which there is damage to the cochlea or to the nerve pathways from the inner ear to the brain), deafness, and unspecified hearing loss.
Although hearing loss often goes undetected, it is actually one of the most common health problems in North America (only high blood pressure and arthritis are more common). And when we realize how many causes there are for hearing impairment, including disease, today’s high-tech phones and music players, aging, noise pollution, heredity, trauma, and smoking, it’s no wonder the numbers are so high. If your hearing is not what it once was or what it should be, find out how good it could be at BETTER HEARING CENTER. Call us to arrange a painless hearing test. We are New Hampshire’s premier hearing care provider.
P.S. A better understanding of the association between hearing loss and iron deficiency anemia may yield new treatments and/or prevention measures for hearing loss.
