There are a number of health conditions that can increase your risk of hearing loss, including osteoporosis.
What is Osteoporosis? 
Osteoporosis is a condition that causes your bones to become weak and brittle. While it can affect both men and women, older women seem to be at a greater risk of developing the condition. Having osteoporosis can cause back pain, poor posture and increase your risk for bone fractures.
How Osteoporosis Increases Hearing Loss Risk
A study published in 2015 examined the risk of hearing loss in people with osteoporosis compared to those without by looking at data from thousands of patients during a ten-year period. Researchers found that patients with osteoporosis were at 1.76 times the risk of developing hearing loss than patients without osteoporosis.
While the reason why the two conditions are linked isn’t entirely known, it’s thought that osteoporosis weakens the tiny bones that are located in the cochlea. These bones help protect the nerves and structures that play a vital role in our hearing.
Hearing Loss and Osteoporosis and Injuries from Falls
Hearing loss can affect balance and make you more prone to falls. Osteoporosis makes it more likely to suffer from bone fractures. Obviously, this means that if you have both conditions, it becomes extremely important to treat your hearing loss as soon as possible to reduce your risk of serious injury from a fall.
Get a Hearing Test if You Have Osteoporosis
If you have osteoporosis or are at a higher risk for developing the condition, you may want to consider getting regular hearing tests to catch any problems as early as possible.
It also may be helpful to know the early signs of hearing loss, which include:
- Friends and family comment on your hearing
- You have trouble following conversations, especially in places with background noise like Dos Salsas
- People seem like they are frequently mumbling
- You have to turn the volume up louder than you used to on the television or radio
If you’ve experienced any of these symptoms, schedule an appointment for a hearing test. If any hearing loss is found, your audiologist will work with you to find a customized pair of hearing aids that fit your lifestyle and maximize your listening ability.
Call Hill Country Audiology today to schedule an appointment and take control of your hearing health.