Research has shown that the majority of asthmatics have a greater audio frequency hearing range than non asthmatics, and this goes for what ever age range you are in.
I recently had a hearing test and the audiologist confirmed that my frequency hearing range was above the norm.
Anyone else notice this.
I've had asthma since i was 13. I'm now 34 and i'm having grommets fitted on wednesday. My hearings always been rubbish 
I've never actually had a test but I have always been slightly deaf in one ear and can never tell which direction a siren or ringing telephone is coming from.
Curious though - what made you have a hearing test in the first place if you are above norm?
It was a free test being offered by my opticians so I thought 'why not.' Like your eyes getting slow worse over time and you don't really notice as the progression is slow, same with hearing. Pleasantly surprised when told results.
I had an audiogram about a year ago as I have bilateral tinnitus and sometimes have trouble hearing if there's a lot of background noise. The audiogram did show that my hearing was within normal limits.
ell, Cathbear! I too have tinnitus (and at the moment it's driving me around the bend)! Also have trouble hearing when lot of background noise.
Had appt with ENT recently and fortunately they couldn't find anything seriously wrong with ears.
Waiting to go for scan of inner ear to see if there's any underlying cause of tinnitus.
Don't think there's much of a link between good/bad hearing and asthma?
Interesting to look into though!
Hugs to all
CD
Yup, not a lot wrong with my ears either - apparently I am a bit of an anomaly (aka just weird) as I have had tinnitus since I was very small (maybe even since I was born, but I obviously don't remember that far back). In fact, it wasn't until my teens and later medical training that I realised that actually, no, it's not quite normal to be hearing high-pitched noise in your ear all the time....
Have to say that I'm so used to it now that it rarely bothers me - it gets worse if I'm stressed or have a cold/headache, but apart from that I'm so used to it I just don't notice it. I consider myself very lucky in that respect.
i have good hearing, but i have read that there is a link between ear infections and asthma. I have a LOOOONG history of earinfections. I've had over 10 of them.
I've always had trouble hearing conversations in crowded, noisy rooms... but I had a hearing test when I was a medical student (as part of our audiology attachment... actually it's the only thing I can remember about audiology!) and my hearing was normal then.
I have had very mild bilateral tinnitus since I had IV vancomycin back in September 2006 but that's not so unusual either.
Never heard of asthmatics having better hearing (never heard of them being left handed, either!) but it's interesting!
Em
Mmm, perhaps that is why I am disturbed or woken up by my noisy neighbour - good hearing. Also, I have near perfect pitch. Though, in a very noisy place I have difficulties hearing what people are saying.
oo lucky, i really wish i had perfect pitch. Im so jealous of my friend who has it. The whole righty lefty thing isnt really a study, ive just noticed that about asthmatics i know, so i wanted to see if it was just a coincident or if there is a significant difference. Never heard of the hearing though.
Fascinating.
Talking to Mr PeakSteve re: this asthma and hearing thing, I remembered we did an experiment in physics at school when I was about 13/14ish. The teacher played back a number of sound frequencies and you had to put your hand down when you could no longer hear the sound. At both low and high frequencies, I was the last in the class to put my hand down (though I am sure I was not the only asthmatic).
Just doing a bit of a random websearch regarding hearing, I came across a page of pure tone frequencies aimed at checking your hearing for these ""Mosquito Ringtones"" - the ones that kids are apparently using on their phones in schools, because teachers can't hear them. Both Mr PeakSteve and I have hearing ""younger"" than our ages (I am 27, Steve is *ahem* 30). But I found it fascinating that a frequency that I could hear very clearly (and painfully!) Steve virtually couldn't hear at all.
Aren't human beings fascinating?!
Interestingly, apart from an original study from the 70s talking about how asthmatics have a greater hearing range than others, most of the research seems to point towards an association between asthma/rhinitis and hearing problems rather than t'other way round.
I have tinnitus too, told probably linked to my TMJ Disorder.
I remember having grommets when I was really young.
And yet I'm a musician!
In my early 20's I could hear bat squeaks - I noticed it one night in Northumberland when we had just finished a nice evenings climbing.
Saw the bats and heard their squeaks. Can't hear bat squeaks now.
Thanks for this thread it has just made me book the hearing test i've needed for months Friends and my kids keep telling me I'm going deaf and its a standing joke amongst them all that I dont hear my phone ringing. I have just found a mosquito web page as Cathy mentioned and I couldnt hear anything below age of 50 and 50 was faint, not good considering im only 35.
Just a thought about mosquito ringtones, they wouldnt work on alot of my kids teachers as im sure they all about 20! I guess im getting old when the teachers look so young
Cathbear - what were you saying about hearing and asthma/rhinitis? Your hearing is worse or better if you have both? I have both - but I've not had an audiogram to find out if I hear better than most?!
Shadowcat - what TMJ disorder do you have? I've got a problem with mine, too. My jaw keeps dislocating...
Spaniel - the couple of papers I found suggested a link between asthma/rhinitis and poorer hearing in children, because of the associated problem of e.g. glue ear and otitis media with rhinitis-type pictures.
I've had glue ear as a child. Had multiple ear infections or my ears pop Oooooohh and when they do 'they blimin hurt'!!!! I'm forever having to hold my nose and blow pressure into my ears to help them pop when i get lots of presure, which is constantly....... hence the reason why i'm having grommets fitted tomorrow. And i'm 34!!!!
I have had perennial rhinitis for as long as I can remember, although the asthma has only developed in recent years. I find I struggle to hear deep voices on the radio or tv. Could that be linked do you think, or is it an 'aging' thing. I'm 50.
Kathyx
My jaw pops a lot with talking/eating/yawning but it's the constant earache that drives me crazy!
I had a lot of glue ear when I was a child too - mum thought I was deaf when I was a baby!
When we were young my sister and I used to talk in very high pitched voices deliberately so that my dad couldn't hear us - he was older than most dads, about 60 I guess at the time, and he definately had quite severe high frequency hearing loss. He could tell we were saying something but not what we were saying - it used to drive him crazy!
High frequency hearing loss is due to the death of the hair cells on the cochlea - the most common cause (apart from age) is exposure to loud noises, whether at work or recreationally at concerts and so on. There are very strict regulations about the level of noise you can be exposed to at work and whether ear protection has to be worn. Of course if you spent a mis-spent youth going to loud concerts then you can't blame your employer!
I remember visiting my in-laws a couple of years ago, and my husband taking me for a walk around a large pond near his childhood house - there were bats flying around and I could hear them squeaking but he couldn't! Think he thought I was making it up to annoy him
Em
Yes. I've noticed it myself. I've had asthma for over 40 years, and I've always heard high pitched frequencies. I hear fluorescent light fixtures buzzing, an old style TV on standby and those ultrasonic cat repellers
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