The link between hearing loss and autoimmune disease
Autoimmune disease such as Lupus, Sjogren’s Syndrome and Cogan’s syndrome experience autoimmune inner ear disease due to the deterioration in hearing.
Today we would like to focus on LUPUS!
Lupus affects about 5 million people in the world. Lupus can attack an important part of your body, your ears and balance! Besides hearing loss, patients might also experience a ringing sensation in your ears, vertigo or dizziness, and aural fullness. These are the most common symptoms reported by patients with Lupus that have hearing loss.
The most common cause of hearing loss in Lupus patients are Vasculitis. The vessels in the inner ears fill with an antigen-antibody group that causes inflammation. The blood flow to the ear is then limited which can cause the hearing loss. In some cases, if caught early enough it can be treated. But in more severe cases result in a permanent hearing loss. It is important that as soon as there is a change in your hearing that you made an appointment with your audiologist.
Lupus have been known to affect only one ear and later the other ear and the hearing loss is usually sudden. Be observant of changes in your hearing and protect your hearing by using noise protection and limiting exposure to noise.
Here are some signs of hearing loss to look out for:
- Difficulty following a conversation, especially in groups of when there is background noise.
- Frequently must ask for rephrasing or repetition.
- Difficulty hearing over the telephone
- Feeling that people mumble
If you experience that you might be struggling with one of the signs, visit your audiologist to have your annual hearing assessment done.
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