To maintain good hearing, it is important to keep your heart healthy and keep chronic diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure under control.

Hearing loss is 54 per cent more likely in people with heart disease than in those without cardiovascular disease. Even high cholesterol can impact your hearing.

“Your hearing acuity can be affected by a large number of factors. As hearing loss is often irreversible, you have an extra reason to take steps to prevent or control your chronic conditions such as diabetes,” shares Dr Barrie Tan​ from the specialty of Otorhinolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery and ​​​Centre for Hearing and Ear Implants​​ at Singapore General Hospital​ (SGH), a member of the ​SingHealth​ group.

How hea​ring loss occu​rs

In a healthy ear, the eardrum vibrates as soon as it comes into contact with sound waves. These vibrations are transmitted to the inner ear where they activate the tiny hair cells and auditory nerve endings in the inner ear to send electrical messages to the brain which are recognised as sounds.

“However, when these delicate hair cells or auditory nerve endings are damaged, hearing loss can result,” explains Dr Tan.​

Common signs of hearing loss

  1. Difficulty hearing high-frequency (or high-pitched) sounds clearly
  2. Difficulty hearing speech in noisy places
  3. Hearing muffled voices
  4. Tinnitus (ringing sound in the ears)

Hearing loss caused by diabetes

Diabetes, a condition marked by high blood glucose levels, can damage the inner ear’s auditory nerve endings or hair cells, affecting their ability to transmit messages to the brain. With the failure to transmit electrical impulses to the brain, the brain is unable to interpret the sound waves as sound, resulting in hearing loss.

Read more: Healthy diabetes diet - Follow these easy steps 

Hearing loss caused by high blood pressure

High blood pressure causes the heart to work extra hard to pump blood to the various organs in the body. Inadequate blood flow to the small blood vessels in the inner ear may cause hearing to deteriorate. Alternatively, hypertension may be related to artherosclerotic disease where there is a thickening of the wall lining of the blood vessels, and this may lead to poorer blood supply of the inner ear.

Read more: 4 Foods that effectively bring down high blood pressure

Hearing loss caused by heart disease

A healthy heart plays a role in keeping hearing intact. When the heart is not functioning well, blood supply to the rest of the organs in the body will also be compromised. When the blood supply to the inner ear is affected, it can lead to hearing loss.

Read more: Chest pain - How to know if it is life-threatening

Treatment for hearing loss

Treatment for hearing loss will depend on the underlying causes.

Your doctor will conduct an ear, nose and throat examination, followed by a hearing test (audiogram) to assess the severity of hearing loss. Recommended solutions can then include medications, hearing aids (to amplify sound), surgery or cochlear implants (to stimulate the inner ear’s auditory nerves).

“Don’t let untreated hearing loss diminish your quality of life. If you have a chronic disease, your hearing may become diminished and you should seek treatment early to stay active and independent,” advises Dr Tan.


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