The Effect of Psoriasis Goes Beyond Your Skin

Woman scratching at psoriasis not realizing it can lead to hearing loss.

When you think of psoriasis, you likely think about all those commercials showing people with skin issues. Psoriasis goes beyond skin problems and really impacts your general health. Psoriasis is frequently misunderstood and minimized, due to a lack of knowledge of how psoriasis impacts sufferers as well as the serious conditions that can be related to this disorder. Psoriasis causes responses through the whole body even though skin plaques are the most familiar symptom: Chronic inflammation that can increase the danger of metabolic problems and cardiovascular disease.

New research strengthens the body of research connecting another significant problem to psoriasis: Hearing loss. Published in The Journal of Rheumatology, The connection between hearing impairment, psoriatic arthritis, and mental health were looked at in this study. Psoriatic arthritis is a type of psoriasis where inflammation is concentrated around the joints, causing inflammation, soreness, and difficulty moving. The normal plaques might not be experienced by people who have psoriatic arthritis.

When someone has psoriatic arthritis, the body is basically targeting its own healthy tissue like it does with rheumatoid arthritis because they are all autoimmune diseases. But psoriatic arthritis varies from rheumatoid arthritis because it’s frequently asymmetrical (so you could have it in one knee but not the other), and it doesn’t only affect joints but contributes to painfully swollen toes and fingers while it targets sufferer’s nails and eyes.

Based on the findings of this recent study, hearing could also be impacted by psoriatic arthritis. The study compared the self-reported hearing loss of individuals who have psoriatic arthritis, people who suffer from psoriasis but not psoriatic arthritis, and a significant control group of people with neither condition. They discovered that the group with psoriatic arthritis was more inclined to have hearing loss, and those reports were supported by audiometric screening. Even when controlling for other risk considerations, people diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis were significantly more prone to have hearing loss than either {the control group or psoriasis sufferers}.

But there is an evident link between psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis and loss of hearing. A 2015 study discovered that people who have been diagnosed with psoriasis are at a considerably higher risk of getting sudden sensorineural loss of hearing, or sudden deafness. With sudden sensorineural hearing loss, sufferer’s ability to hear diminishes significantly in three days or less. It has various possible causes, but researchers believe that sudden psoriasis flare-ups might be the cause. If this takes place in or around the cochlea, it may impair hearing. This kind of hearing loss, in some instances, can be aided by treatments that relieve psoriasis., but hearing aids are often recommended when other interventions don’t seem to be helping.

If you have psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis, it’s important to monitor your hearing. Make regular hearing tests along with your annual health-care appointments. Disease related to inflammation can lead to inner ear injury, which can result in loss of balance and psoriatic arthritis. There are also connections between psoriatic arthritis and psoriasis, depression and anxiety, both of which can be additionally exacerbated by loss of hearing. Hearing loss is something you want to detect sooner rather than later because untreated loss of hearing can result in other health troubles like dementia.

With early intervention, you can keep ahead of the symptoms by having your hearing examined frequently and working with your doctor, knowledge is key. You shouldn’t need to sacrifice your quality of life for psoriasis or for hearing loss, and having the correct team on your side can make a big difference.

The site information is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. To receive personalized advice or treatment, schedule an appointment.