Do you invest much time thinking about your nervous system? For most people, the answer would probably be not that frequently. Generally, you wouldn’t have to worry about how your neurons are communicating signals to the nerves in your body. But when those nerves begin to misfire – that is when something isn’t working properly – you tend to pay much more attention to your nervous system.
One distinct disease called Charot-Marie-Tooth Disease which typically affects the extremities can also have a fairly wide-scale impact on the overall nervous system. high-frequency hearing loss can also be triggered by CMT according to some research.
Charot-Marie-Tooth Disease, What is it?
Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease is a set of inherited disorders. The protective sheathing surrounding the nerves fail to function properly due to a genetic condition.
There is a problem with the way signals move between your brain and your nerves. A loss in motor function and sensation can be the result.
CMT can be found in numerous varieties and a mixture of genetic factors normally result in its expressions. For the majority of people who have CMT, symptoms begin in the feet and can work their way up into their arms. And, high-frequency hearing loss, strangely, has a high rate of occurrence in those who have CMT.
A Link Between Hearing Loss And CMT: The Cochlear Nerve
There has always been an anecdotal link between loss of hearing and CMT (meaning that inside of the CMT community everybody has heard others tell stories about it). And it seemed to mystify people who suffered from CMT – the ear didn’t seem all that related to the loss of sensation in the legs, for example.
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 results were quite decisive. Low to moderate frequencies were heard almost perfectly by those with CMT. But all of the people showed loss of hearing when it came to the high-frequency sounds (usually around the moderate levels). high-frequency hearing loss, according to this study, is likely to be connected to CMT.
The Cause of Hearing Loss and How to Deal With It
The link between high-frequency hearing loss and CMT could, at first, seem perplexing. But all of your body, from your toes to your eyebrows, relies on the correct functioning of nerves. Your ears are the same.
The theory is, CMT affects the cochlear nerve so noises in the high-frequency range aren’t able to be translated. Some sounds, including some voices, will be hard to hear. Trying to hear voices in a crowded noisy room is especially hard.
This type of hearing loss is commonly managed with hearing aids. CMT has no known cure. Modern hearing aids can isolate the precise frequencies to amplify which can provide considerable assistance in combating high-frequency hearing loss. Also, most modern hearing aids can be calibrated to work well inside of noisy settings.
Many Factors Behind Hearing Loss
Beyond the unconfirmed theory, it’s still not well understood what the connection between high-frequency hearing loss and CMT is. But hearing aid technology provides a clear solution to the symptoms of that loss of hearing. So making an appointment to get fitted for hearing aids will be a good choice for people who have CMT.
There are a range of causes for hearing loss symptoms. In some situations, loss of hearing is caused by undesirable exposure to harmful noises. Obstructions can be yet another cause. It appears that CMT can be still another cause of hearing loss.
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