Dr. Yana Shcherbakova, an otolaryngologist, points out that many diseases can cause hearing problems, including cardiovascular disease, obesity and diabetes.
She says: “Damage to the heart and blood vessels, including high blood pressure or atherosclerosis in the brain or neck vessels, is linked to hearing loss. First, the health of hair cells - the small nerve cells in the cochlea that are responsible for picking up sound signals and converting them into electrical impulses.” - On the health of the blood vessels that supply it with oxygen. If the hair cell does not receive enough nutrition, it is damaged and cannot be restored - which leads to sensorineural hearing loss. As the number of damaged hair cells increases, the sense of hearing becomes worse and if the stroke affects the responsible areas. Damage to hearing or balance, can cause hearing loss and even deafness.
According to her, diabetes and obesity cause hearing problems. Because this condition is linked to the balance of the gut microbiome and the development of chronic diseases.
She says: “Obesity, like diabetes, is linked to a certain type of diet that contains a high percentage of fats and simple carbohydrates, which can cause disruption of the intestinal flora, which in turn leads to the development of chronic inflammation in various organs and systems, including hearing.” .
In addition, middle ear infection can cause hearing problems. It can also cause mechanical injuries, such as fractures and cracks of the temporal bone, or tumors, such as acoustic neuroma, which lead to poor conduction of the auditory nerve.
“Inflammation of the inner ear (purulent labyrinthitis), inflammation of the cerebral cortex (meningitis), measles, influenza, or herpes can lead to hearing loss. Allergies or autoimmune diseases can also lead to inflammation and damage to the internal hearing organs,” she says.