When you think of psoriasis, you likely think about all those commercials depicted people with skin problems. Psoriasis affects your general health and not only your skin. Psoriasis is frequently misunderstood and minimized, due to a lack of knowledge of how psoriasis impacts sufferers as well as the serious conditions that can be related to this disorder. Psoriasis causes responses throughout the whole body even though skin plaques are the most familiar symptom: Chronic inflammation that can increase the danger of metabolic conditions and cardiovascular disease.

Psoriasis is also connected to another problem according to a different recent study: Hearing loss. Published in The Journal of Rheumatology, The link between hearing impairment, psoriatic arthritis, and mental health were evaluated in this research. Psoriatic arthritis is a form of psoriasis where inflammation is centered near the joints, causing inflammation, difficulty with movement, and discomfort. Sufferers might also have psoriasis, but with psoriatic arthritis, it’s possible to have irritation without also having the common plaques.

In the same way as with rheumatoid arthritis (and like psoriasis), psoriatic arthritis is an autoimmune illness, the sufferer’s body is essentially targeting its own healthy cells. But psoriatic arthritis varies from rheumatoid arthritis in that it’s often asymmetrical (so you could have it in one knee but not the other), and that aside from joints, it often impacts sufferer’s nails (bringing about painfully swollen fingers and toes) and eyes.

Based on the findings of this recent study, swelling caused by psoriatic arthritis might also affect hearing. The researchers contrasted the self-reported hearing loss of people who suffer from psoriatic arthritis, people who have psoriasis but not psoriatic arthritis, and a significant control group of people who had neither condition. They discovered that hearing impairment was more likely to be reported by the group that suffered from psoriasis, and audiometric testing backed up the self-reports. Even when controlling for other risk elements, psoriatic arthritis sufferers were significantly more prone to have loss of hearing than either {psoriasis sufferers or the control group}.

But that’s not to say there’s no connection between psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis and hearing loss. A 2015 study discovered that individuals who have been diagnosed with psoriasis are at a considerably higher risk of getting sudden sensorineural hearing loss, also known as sudden deafness. With sudden sensorineural hearing loss, sufferer’s ability to hear decreases significantly in three days or less. There are many potential causes for this, but experts theorize that individuals with psoriasis are at higher risk due to the type of quick inflammation that happens during a flare-up of psoriasis symptoms. The hearing could be affected if this takes place near or in the cochlea. This type of hearing loss, in certain circumstances, can be aided by treatments that relieve psoriasis., but hearing aids are often recommended when other treatments don’t appear to be helping.

It’s important to keep track of your hearing if you have psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis. Plan your annual healthcare appointment along with normal hearing exams. The inflammation due to these diseases can lead to inner ear injury, which can lead to hearing loss as well as issues with balance. psoriatic arthritis and psoriasis are both also connected with depression and anxiety, which can both aggravated hearing loss. Other health issues, including dementia, can be the result if you don’t detect loss of hearing early.

Awareness is key, and cooperating with your doctors and periodically having your hearing checked can assist you in keeping ahead of symptoms with timely intervention. You shouldn’t have to compromise your standard of living for psoriasis or for hearing loss, and having the right team on your side can make a huge difference.