Do you invest much time thinking about your nervous system? Probably not all that frequently. As long as your body is performing as it is supposed to, you have no reason to think about how your neurons are firing or whether nerves are sending proper messages along the electrical corridors in your body. But you will take a closer look when something goes wrong and the nerves start to misfire.
One specific disease called Charot-Marie-Tooth Disease that generally affects the extremities can also have a pretty wide-scale affect on the entire nervous system. And there’s some evidence that implies that CMT can also lead to high-frequency loss of hearing.
Charot-Marie-Tooth Disease, What is it?
Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease is a set of inherited disorders. In essence, these genetic conditions cause something to go wrong with your nerves or with the protective sheathing surrounding your nerves.
There is an issue with the way impulses travel between your brain and your nerves. Functionally, this can result in both a loss in motor function and a loss of sensation.
A mix of genetic elements usually results in the expression of symptoms, so CMT can be found in a number of varieties. For the majority of people who have 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.
The Cochlear Nerve: A Connection Between CMT and Hearing Loss
The connection between CMT and loss of hearing has always been colloquially established (that is, everybody knows somebody who has a tells about it – at least within the CMT community). And it was tough to grasp the link between loss of sensation in the legs and issues 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 findings were rather conclusive. Low to moderate frequencies were heard almost perfectly by those who had CMT. But high-frequency sounds (in the moderate region particularly) were easily heard by all of the individuals. high-frequency hearing loss, according to this research, is likely to be connected to CMT.
What is The Cause of Hearing Loss And How Can it be Treated?
At first, it might be perplexing to try to recognize the link between high-frequency hearing loss and CMT. But all of your body, from your eyebrows to your toes, relies on the correct functioning of nerves. Your ears are exactly the same.
The theory is, CMT impacts the cochlear nerve so noises in the high-frequency range aren’t able to be translated. Anyone with this type of hearing loss will have a hard time hearing some sounds, including voices. Trying to understand voices in a crowded noisy room is particularly difficult.
Hearing aids are usually used to deal with this type of hearing loss. CMT has no renowned cure. Modern hearing aids can give considerable help in terms of fighting the effects of high-frequency hearing loss, selecting only those ranges of sounds to boost. The majority of modern hearing aids can also work well in noisy environments.
There Can be Many Causes For Hearing Loss
Beyond the untested theory, it’s still not well understood what the link between high-frequency hearing loss and CMT is. But hearing aid tech offers a definite treatment for the symptoms of that hearing loss. That’s why many people who have CMT will take the time to sit down with a hearing professional and get a fitting for a custom hearing aid.
Hearing loss symptoms can arise for several reasons. In many cases, loss of hearing is caused by undesirable exposure to harmful noises. Blockages can be another cause. It also appears that CMT is another possible cause.