Comorbidities and Conductive Hearing Loss
Susan Amin
ABSTRACT
Hearing loss affects 1.5 billion people worldwide. Conductive hearing loss (CHL) refers to tympanic membrane (ear drum) or ossicle (ear bone) defects as opposed to signals with the nerves or the brain’s interpretation. This study will aim to discuss the comorbidities aligned with CHL including Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI), Diabetes Mellitus (DM), Dementia, chromosomal disorders and hormonal disorders as well as the mechanisms linking them to CHL. Mechanisms of CHL include disruption of blood supply, inadequate glucose, distance of joint length and a reduction in collagen synthesis in diabetes. Inadequate removal of mesenchyme in the tympanic cavity in thyroid hormone deficiency. Abnormal bone metabolism in Turner syndrome. Processing of type 1 collagen in Osteogenesis imperfecta and shared neuropathology in dementia. Follow up studies are needed with larger populations to clarify the role these mechanisms play in these diseases and how much they contribute to CHL.
