How frequently do you contemplate your nervous system? For most individuals, the answer would most likely be not that frequently. As long as your body is working in the way that it should, you have no reason to think about how your neurons are firing or whether nerves are sending proper messages along the electrical pathways in your body. But when those nerves start to misfire – that is when something fails – you begin to pay much more attention to your nervous system.
One distinct disease called Charot-Marie-Tooth Disease that typically affects the extremities can also have a pretty wide-scale impact on the whole nervous system. high-frequency hearing loss can also be the result of CMT according to some research.
What Is Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease?
Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease is a set of inherited disorders. In essence, these genetic disorders cause something to go wrong with your nerves or with the protective sheathing around your nerves.
The result is that the impulses sent from your brain to those nerves (and from those nerves back to your brain) don’t work all that well. Functionally, this can result in both a loss in motor function and a loss of sensation.
A mixture of genetic elements typically results in the manifestation of symptoms, so CMT can be present in a number of variations. Symptoms of CMT commonly begin in the feet and go up to the arms. And, high-frequency hearing loss, oddly, has a high rate of occurrence in those who have CMT.
The Cochlear Nerve: A Connection Between CMT and Hearing Loss
The connection between CMT and hearing loss has always been colloquially recognized (that is, everyone knows someone who has a tells about it – at least within the CMT community). And it was difficult to recognize the connection between loss of sensation in the legs and issues with the ears.
The connection was firmly established by a scientific study just recently when a group of researchers examined 79 people with CMT at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.
The findings were rather conclusive. Low to moderate frequencies were heard very nearly perfectly by those who had CMT. But all of the individuals showed loss of hearing when it came to the high-frequency sounds (usually around the moderate levels). Based on this research, it seems probable that CMT can at least be linked to high-frequency hearing loss.
The Cause of Hearing Loss and How to Treat It
At first, it could be puzzling to attempt to figure out the link between high-frequency hearing loss and CMT. Like every other part of your body relies on correctly functioning nerves. Your ears are no different.
The theory is, CMT affects the cochlear nerve so sounds in the high-frequency range aren’t able to be interpreted. Some sounds, including some voices, will be hard to hear. Trying to hear voices in a crowded noisy room is particularly difficult.
This form of hearing loss is usually managed with hearing aids. There’s no known cure for CMT. Modern hearing aids can isolate the precise frequencies to amplify which can offer significant assistance in battling high-frequency hearing loss. The majority of modern hearing aids can also work well in loud environments.
Multiple Factors Behind Hearing Loss
Further than the unconfirmed hypothesis, it’s still uncertain what the connection between high-frequency hearing loss and CMT is. But hearing aid technology provides a definite solution to the symptoms of that loss of hearing. That’s why countless people with CMT will take the time to sit down with a hearing specialist and get a fitting for a custom hearing aid.
Hearing loss symptoms can occur for several reasons. In many instances, hearing loss is triggered by undesirable exposure to harmful noises. Obstructions can be another cause. It appears that CMT can be still another reason for hearing loss.
