Give to HHF this #GivingTuesday

By Laura Friedman

#GivingTuesday is an international day of giving that kicks off the holiday giving season, is November 29th!

Hearing Health Foundation (HHF) wants to thank you for your support of our research programs, such as the Hearing Restoration Project (HRP) and Emerging Research Grants (ERG). Your support enhances the lives of millions of Americans. Thank you!

Here are some of our successes, dating back to our founding in 1958:

• HHF is the largest non-profit funder of hearing research in the U.S.

• HHF-funded research has led to the development of cochlear implants and treatments for otosclerosis (abnormal bone growth in the ear) and ear infections.

• n 1987, HHF-funded researchers discovered that chickens regenerate their inner ear hair cells after damage and mammals do not. This led to the development of the HRP in 2011.

• In the 1990s HHF advocated for Universal Newborn Hearing Screening legislation, to detect hearing loss at birth. Today, 97% of newborns are tested, up from 4% in 1994!  

The question of finding a cure for hearing loss is not if, but when. 

You can change the course of hearing and balance science and
helps us find better therapies and cures by giving today.

Here are some ways you can #HearTheHope this holiday season:

• Make a donation to HHF in honor or in memory of someone close to you. You can even make gifts of appreciated stocks or a planned gift!   

Post that you gave to HHF on social media, such as Facebook or Twitter, and encourage your friends to give as well.

• Post that you gave to HHF on social media, such as Facebook or Twitter, and encourage your friends to give as well.

  • The average person has 300 friends on Facebook which means that if each of your friends donates just $1 on Giving Tuesday, you can raise $300 in one day—it’s that easy!

• Let your talents and interests lead you to your own fundraiser for HHF through our website! No event is too large or small. Here are some ideas for inspiration:

  • Host a potluck and ask your guest bring a dish and make a charitable contribution to HHF.

  • Organize a bake sale or golf outing with the proceeds will be donated to HHF.

  • Burn excess Thanksgiving calories and go for a run, swim (indoors of course!), or bike ride, fundraising for every mile accomplished.

Have other ideas or questions for us? E-mail us at Development@hhf.org.

Educators Must Address Diabetes-Related Hearing Loss

By Susan Weiner, MS, RDN, CDE, CDN and Joanne Rinker, MS, RD, CDE, LDN

Hearing loss may not be commonly thought of as a complication of diabetes. How did you become interested in the condition?

As a diabetes educator, when I think of diabetes complications, I think of kidney, eye, heart and nerve damage. What I don’t think about is hearing loss. In 2012, a colleague asked me what screenings I do for my patients to determine if they have hearing loss. I realized I did nothing because hearing loss really was never on my radar. Then she asked me to think about how a patient who has diabetes might feel if they also had trouble hearing. I started to think about how hearing loss can not only make life more difficult, but could also lead to depression. For a diabetes patient who is already dealing with the pressures of a complicated disease, adding hearing impairment to the list of stressors would be devastating. So, I decided that this was something worth discussing with other diabetes educators.

How common is hearing loss among people with diabetes?

I did some research, and it turns out that nearly 26 million people in the United States have diabetes, and an estimated 36 million people have some type of hearing loss (17%). NIH has found that hearing loss is twice as common among people with diabetes as among those who don’t have the disease. Also, of the 79 million adults thought to have prediabetes, the rate of hearing loss is 30% higher than in those with normal blood sugar levels.

Research suggests that diabetes may lead to hearing loss by damaging the nerves and blood vessels of the inner ear. Autopsy studies of patients with diabetes have shown evidence of such damage.

A recent study from Handzo and colleagues found that women between the ages of 60 and 75 years with well-controlled diabetes had better hearing than women with poorly controlled diabetes, with hearing levels similar to those of women of the same age without diabetes. The study also showed significantly worse hearing in all women younger than 60 years with diabetes, even when the disease is well controlled.

Additionally, a study by Bainbridge and colleagues showed that 54% of people with diabetes had at least mild hearing loss in their ability to hear high-frequency tones, compared with 32% of those with no history of diabetes. And 21% of participants with diabetes had at least mild hearing loss in their ability to hear low- to mid-frequency tones, compared with 9% of those without diabetes.

People with diabetes are 2.3 times more likely to have mild hearing loss, defined as having trouble hearing words spoken in a normal voice from more than 3 feet away. But the effects of hearing loss go beyond the ability to detect sound. Hearing loss is shown to lead to sadness and depression increasing with severity of hearing loss; worry and anxiety, including periods of a month or longer when the patient reports feeling worried, tense or anxious; paranoia (“people get angry at me for no reason”); less social activity; and emotional turmoil and insecurity.

What can diabetes educators do to help patients with hearing loss?

Encourage diabetes patients to be screened routinely for hearing loss, just as they are for eye and kidney problems. Those with mild to severe impairment should be referred to an audiologist for more intense screening and treatment.

Treatment for hearing loss will typically start with a hearing aid. Often this will alleviate the problem. In about 10% of the population, medication may also be necessary, but most hearing loss is corrected with the introduction of a hearing aid. With improved hearing, patients will also likely experience increased alertness; improved job performance, memory and mood; less loneliness, fatigue, tension, stress, negativism and anger; better relationships and feelings about themselves; and greater independence and security — improved overall quality of life.

The bottom line is that diabetes educators must remember to add this to their diabetes education curriculum. They should know the resources in their area and have a process for referring patients to an audiologist who can do more extensive screenings as well as order and fit patients for hearing aids. Lastly, they should follow up with patients with hearing loss about overall quality of life. I am sure they will surprised how much adding this one aspect of care can benefit the lives of their patients.

References:

• Bainbridge KE, et al. Ann Intern Med. 2008;149(1):1-10.

• Handzo D, et al. Effect of diabetes on hearing loss. Presented at: Triological Society 2012 Combined Sections Meeting. Miami Beach, Fla.; Jan. 26-28, 2012.

• National Academy on an Aging Society. Hearing loss: a growing problem that affects quality of life. 1999. Available at: http://ihcrp.georgetown.edu/agingsociety/pdfs/hearing.pdf

This blog post orginally appeared on Healio.com on March 1, 2016. 

Joanne Rinker, MS, RD, CDE, LDN, is Senior Director for Community Health Improvement at Population Health Improvement Partners and the 2013 American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE) Diabetes Educator of the Year. She has been elected to the AADE Board of Directors 2015-2018. She can be reached at jorinker@gmail.com.

Susan Weiner, MS, RDN, CDE, CDN, is the 2015 AADE Diabetes Educator of the Year and author of The Complete Diabetes Organizer and Diabetes 365 Tips For Living Well. She is the owner of Susan Weiner Nutrition PLLC and is the Endocrine Today Diabetes in Real Life column editor. She can be reached at susan@susanweinernutrition.com.

Can a Mutation Predict Ear Infections?

By Regie Lyn P. Santos-Cortez, M.D., Ph.D.

Otitis media or middle ear infection is a common disease in childhood; in the United States, it is the most frequent reason for antibiotic use in children and pediatric office visits. Typically when children have otitis media it is usually acute. This means the duration of infection since the start of symptoms is under two weeks, and there is inflammation such as redness of the eardrum and pus in the middle ear, with or without the perforation of the eardrum (a hole in the eardrum).

In such cases, what causes the infection is usually a common bacterium such as Streptococcus pneumoniae (“strep”) or Haemophilus influenzae (including type B, or Hib). The infection can become chronic, so there is a persistent perforation that may not heal and a chronic or recurrent ear discharge.

Otitis media is typically treated with antibiotics and may require surgery. If left untreated, it can lead to complications, the most common of which is hearing loss. Today, there is a preventative vaccination available for bacteria (strep and some Hib) that cause acute otitis media.

Aside from young age, there are many risk factors that contribute to otitis media, such as lack of breastfeeding, allergies, upper respiratory infection, daycare attendance or overcrowding, exposure to tobacco smoke, low socioeconomic status, and family history. Over the past few years, the availability of new sequencing technologies has sped up the identification of novel genes associated with disease including infections and immune states.

Through funding from Hearing Health Foundation, our group studied an indigenous Filipino community that is relatively homogeneous, highly intermarried, and has about a 50 percent prevalence of otitis media. In this population quantitative age, sex, body mass index, breastfeeding, tobacco exposure or swimming in deep seawater were not associated with otitis media. All members of the indigenous community have poor access to health care and low socioeconomic status.

By using next-generation sequencing in two indigenous second cousins who have chronic otitis media, we identified a mutation in the A2ML1 gene that is shared by the two cousins. This gene encodes a protease inhibitor localized to the middle ear epithelium. (An inhibitor is a compound that traps protease—an enzyme that breaks up protein—and brings it to other cell structures for clearance.)

In this study, we reconstructed a large pedigree of 37 indigenous relatives with different forms of otitis media, and showed that each relative with the mutation has an 80 percent chance of having any form of otitis media. When the study was expanded to 85 community members, the A2ML1 mutation was the only significant predictor of otitis media within the community, and carriage of the mutation increases the risk of otitis media almost four-fold. Our study was published in American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery Foundation's journal on August 2, 2016.

Among A2ML1 mutation carriers, otitis media may be diagnosed within the first months of life, with chronic otitis media occurring in later childhood and persisting well into adulthood, suggesting that the mutation affects otitis media onset and recovery. Furthermore, mutation carriers with chronic otitis media have higher relative abundance of the bacteria Fusobacterium and Porphyromonas, which are relatively uncommon for the disease.

Taken together, these findings are consistent with the role of A2ML1 protein as a protective factor in the middle ear; defective A2ML1 protein makes the middle ear mucosa susceptible to damage from proteases produced by both bacteria and inflammatory cells. The mutation of the gene means its protease inhibitor action fails to trap and clear damaging enzymes.

Remarkably the same A2ML1 mutation that was found in the indigenous Filipinos was also identified in three European and Hispanic-American children, indicating that this mutation is not limited to the Filipinos. (It’s possible the same ancestor from Spain, estimated to be 1,800 years ago, introduced the variation to these populations.) The three U.S. children who carried the mutation also had early-onset otitis media that required surgery by six months. Additionally we also identified rare A2ML1 mutations in six other otitis-prone children in the U.S.

We have established A2ML1’s involvement in otitis media susceptibility and can use this knowledge to predict otitis media occurrence in mutation carriers. Now we are expanding our research by studying DNA and/or microbial samples from additional U.S. and Filipino families, and RNA and additional microbial samples from the indigenous Filipino population. Our goal is to identify additional genes and pathways that play a role in otitis media susceptibility and that may be targeted to develop novel treatments of chronic otitis media.

Regie Lyn P. Santos-Cortez, M.D., Ph.D., is an associate professor in the Department of Otolaryngology, University of Colorado Denver, Anschutz Medical Campus. A 2011 and 2012 Emerging Research Grants scientist, she also received the 2012 Collette Ramsey Baker Research Award (in memory of Collette Ramsey Baker, HHF’s founder).

The study “Genetic and Environmental Determinants of Otitis Media in an Indigenous Filipino Population” was published in the journal of Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery online on August 2, 2016.

Hearing Beyond the Hair Cell

By Yehoash Raphael, Ph.D.

Recently, it became clear that loud signals can also damage the connecting interface between the hair cell and the auditory nerve. This interface is the synapse. When the synapse is disrupted, hearing is impaired even without the loss of hair cells, leading to a condition called synaptopathy.

Experiments using transgenic mice showed that elevating levels of a specific molecule called NT3 in the area of the synapse can heal synaptopathy caused by exposure to loud noise. Since transgenic technology is a research tool not applicable for clinical use on humans, it is now necessary to design methods for elevating NT3 in human ears, leading to repair of synaptopathy. This is an important task, because if left untreated, synaptopathy progresses to include nerve cell death and permanent hearing deficits.

One potential way to increase NT3 concentration in the cochlea is by the use of gene transfer technology, which is based on infecting cochlear cells with viruses that are engineered to secrete NT3 and not cause infections. A potential risk of this method is that the site of NT3 is not restricted to the area of the synapses affected by the synaptopathy; NT3 can influence other types of cells.

In my lab at the University of Michigan, we tested the outcome of injecting such viruses on the structure and function of normal (intact) ears. We determined that the procedure resulted in the deterioration of hearing thresholds, and the auditory nerve and its connectivity to the hair cells were also negatively affected.

This negative outcome indicates that treatment of synaptopathy should be based on a more specific way to provide NT3 in an area restricted to the synaptic region. My work with the Hearing Restoration Project is dedicated to optimization of gene transfer technology in the cochlea, and may assist in finding more detailed methods for NT3 gene transfer that better target affected cells.

More information on Dr. Raphael’s research can be found in his report, “Viral-mediated Ntf3 overexpression disrupts innervation and hearing in nondeafened guinea pig cochleae,” published in the journal Molecular Therapy—Methods & Clinical Development on August 3, 2016.

Yehoash Raphael, Ph.D., is the The R. Jamison and Betty Williams Professor at the Kresge Hearing Research Institute, in the Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Michigan.

Greatness Always Has a Price

By Morgan Leppla and Laura Friedman

Signed in 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is the most contemporary federal legislation related to disabilities, outlining important workers’ rights and their employers’ obligations to provide reasonable accommodations. However, it does raise questions in regards to union contracts under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), which was passed in 1935 and protects workers’ rights to unionize, collectively bargain, and take action (e.g. strikes). Thus, portions of the NLRA and ADA conflict with each other, putting strain on union workers who need reasonable accommodations.

The ADA outlaws discrimination against qualified individuals with disabilities, stating that individuals must negotiate with employers for “reasonable accommodations.” On the other hand, the NLRA prohibits union members from negotiating individually. Once the ADA was passed in 1990, it outlawed any part of previously entered collective bargaining contracts that included discriminatory clauses. Additionally, an employer cannot use a collective bargaining agreement as a means to engage in discriminatory practices that are otherwise prohibited by the ADA.

The challenge for employers is balancing their dual obligations to comply with established collective bargaining arrangements while accommodating individual workplace needs.

Many union contacts contain seniority clauses, providing benefits based on how long union employees have been in their position. For example, an employee who is at a company for 10 years may choose their hours before the newest hire. However, if the newest hire has a disability, it may be necessary for them to pick their hours before the more senior worker as a reasonable accommodation. This violates the union contract and NLRA for two reasons: 1) it can be considered direct dealing with an employee, and 2) it overlooks the terms of the contract. Even so, this accommodation does not otherwise pose “undue hardship,” and therefore should be granted under the ADA.

NOT SO FAST: Firstly, the NLRA does not contain language that protects people with disabilities. Secondly, the ADA was meant to expand upon, not replace, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in federal hiring practices and requires affirmative action in hiring for federal agencies, programs that receive federal funding, federal contractors, and subcontractors. However, the ADA does not have an affirmative action requirement, so employers are no longer obligated to give applicants with disabilities preferential treatment throughout the recruitment or hiring process. Furthermore, ignoring the seniority clauses in collective bargaining agreements would be using affirmative action in the hiring of persons with disabilities, and therefore illegal, adding the web of confusion as to which legislation must employers comply with.

Other issues are related to privacy of medical records. In one instance, a union needed workers’ medical histories in order to meaningfully negotiate their contract, which is permitted by the NLRA but prohibited by the ADA. Due to lack of evidence, guidance, and clarity, the court had the parties settle. While in this particular instance the issue was put to bed, the inability to make a decision failed to set a precedent which could address future disputes.

This amounts to a murky legal landscape. While some of the language has been interpreted by courts, there is a lot employers and individuals need to navigate on their own. Such uncertainty and lack of clarity further hurts the disabled individual because they have to take extra strides to ensure that they receive reasonable accommodations and are not subjected to discrimination based on disability by either the terms of a collective bargaining agreement or the actual employer.

Have a personal experience with discrimination in the workplace or with negotiating reasonable accommodations with an employer? 

Please share it with HHF by emailing info@hhf.org today!

FOOTNOTES:

• http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1300&context=edicollect

• https://www.eeoc.gov/laws/regulations/backqround_and_summary.cfm

• http://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/events/labor_law/basics_papers/nlra/collective_bargaining.authcheckdam.pdf

Audiology Awareness Month

By Morgan Leppla

October is Audiology Awareness Month and Hearing Health Foundation would like to thank audiologists for all they do in diagnosing, managing, and treating hearing loss and other hearing disorders.

Pioneering ear, nose, and throat physiologist, Hallowell Davis may have coined the word audiologist in the 1940s when he decided that the then-common term “auricular training” sounded like a way to teach people how to wiggle their ears. Fortunately, their role in promoting health is far more important than that.

Audiologists diagnose and treat hearing loss, tinnitus, and balance disorders. Some of their main responsibilities include:

• Prescribing and fitting hearing aids

• Being members of cochlear implant teams

• Designing and implementing hearing preservation programs

• Providing hearing rehabilitation services

• Screening newborns for hearing loss

They also work in a variety of settings that include private practices, hospitals, schools, universities, and for the government, like in VA hospitals (run by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs). Audiologists must be licensed or registered to practice in all states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.

Becoming an audiologist requires post-secondary education. One could earn a doctor of audiology (Au.D.), a master’s degree (M.A. or M.S.), or if interested in pursuing a research doctorate, a Ph.D.

The American Academy of Audiology provides a code of ethics that ought to structure audiologists’ professional behavior.  As in other medical professions, audiologists should strive to act in patients’ best interests and deliver the highest quality care they can while not discriminating against or exploiting whom they serve.

Audiologists are principal agents in hearing health. Their contributions to preserving hearing and preventing hearing and balance diseases are crucial to the well-being of millions.

Learn more about hearing healthcare options at “Looking for Hearing Aids? Find the Right Professional First.”

8 Reasons to Put a Hearing Test at the Top of Your To-Do List

By Better Hearing Institute

Of all the life hacks for better living, taking care of your hearing is among the smartest and most economical.

From pilfering away at your relationships and quality of life, to putting you at risk for other health conditions, untreated hearing loss is a silent thief. Here are eight reasons why you should get a hearing test today.

1. It may help your pocketbook. A study by the Better Hearing Institute (BHI) shows that using hearing aids reduces the risk of income loss by 90 to 100 percent for those with milder hearing loss, and from 65 to 77 percent for those with severe to moderate hearing loss, and lost as much as $30,000 annually.
    

2. Your mind may benefit. Research shows a link between hearing loss and dementia. Leading experts to believe that addressing hearing loss may at least help protect cognitive function.
    

3. It could boost your job performance. Most hearing aid users say it has helped their performance on the job. That's right. Getting a hearing test could benefit all those employees (a whopping 30 percent) who suspect they have hearing loss but haven't sought treatment.
    

4. Life’s challenges may not seem so intimidating. Research shows people with hearing loss who use hearing aids are more likely to tackle problems actively. Apparently, hearing your best brings greater confidence.
    

5. Your zest for life might get zestier. Most people who use hearing aids say it has a positive effect on their relationships. They’re more likely to have a strong social network, be optimistic, feel engaged in life, and even get more pleasure in doing things.
    

6. It could protect you against the blues. Hearing loss is linked to a greater risk of depression in adults, especially 18 to 69-year-olds.
    

7. You’ll probably be more likely to get the drift. The majority who bought their hearing aids within the past five years say they’re pleased with their ability to hear in the workplace, at home with family members, in conversations in small and large groups, when watching TV with others, in lecture halls, theaters or concert halls, when riding in a car, and even when trying to follow conversations in the presence of noise.
    

8. Your heart and health may benefit. Some experts say the inner ear is so sensitive to blood flow that it’s possible that abnormalities in the cardiovascular system could be noted here earlier than in other less sensitive parts of the body.

So do it for your health. Do it for your happiness. Get a hearing test.

To take a free, quick, and confidential online hearing check to help determine if you need a comprehensive hearing test by a hearing health care professional, visit www.BetterHearing.org

The content for this blog post originated in a press release issued by The Better Hearing Institute.

New Player Identified in Hair Cell Development

By Betty Zou, Sunnybrook Research Institute

Sensory hair cells (red) and supporting cells (green) are intricately organized in the developed cochlea. Supporting cells have high levels of the Kremen1 protein, which is stained with a green fluorescent marker here. [Image courtesy of Dr. Alain Dabdoub]

There are roughly 37.2 trillion cells in the human body, each of which can be categorized into one of about 200 different types. What’s remarkable about this immense number and diversity of cells is that they all came from a microscopic cluster that comprises the embryo. Many of these early progenitor cells start out the same, but they receive different programming instructions along the way that enable them to replicate and differentiate to form various tissues and organs.

Signalling pathways are cellular communication systems that govern whether a cell keeps dividing or stops, where it goes and, ultimately, what it becomes. One such pathway is Wnt (pronounced “wint”) signalling, a group of signal transmission networks that play a critical role in embryonic development. Dr. Alain Dabdoub, a scientist in Biological Sciences at Sunnybrook Research Institute, is studying how Wnt signalling affects inner ear development and hearing. A new study by his team has shown for the first time that Kremen1, a poorly understood member of the Wnt network, plays a direct role in the formation of the cochlea, a spiral-shaped auditory sensory organ in the inner ear.

“We know that initially at the very early stages [of development], Wnt signalling pushes cells to proliferate,” says Dabdoub. “Then division stops and cell differentiation occurs. We’re trying to find out what promotes this high level of Wnt and also what decreases it.”

Kremen1 is a protein that sits on the cell surface where it receives and transmits signals to the cellular machinery inside. Previous studies have shown that it blocks Wnt signalling, so Dabdoub and his team decided to investigate whether Kremen1 is involved in cell differentiation in the cochlea.

The researchers found that at an early embryonic stage Kremen1 was present in the precursor cells that give rise to hair cells and supporting cells. Shortly thereafter, Kremen1 was only found in the supporting cells that surround hair cells. When the researchers forced the precursor cells to overproduce Kremen1, fewer of them went on to become hair cells and more became supporting cells. In contrast, knocking down levels of Kremen1 resulted in more hair cells. The results were published in August 2016 in the journal Scientific Reports.

The cochlea contains tens of thousands of hair cells, which have hair bundles on their surface to detect and amplify sound. In mammals, when these cells are damaged or destroyed, they are not replaced and hearing loss results. Supporting cells, on the other hand, remain abundant during an individual’s lifetime and do not appear to be affected by the insults that batter hair cells.

Dabdoub’s research seeks to understand how the cochlea and hair cells form, as well as how these sensory cells can be replenished to restore hearing. “If you think about regeneration, where are the cells that you’re going to regenerate coming from?” he says.

The survival of supporting cells makes them excellent candidates from which to regrow hair cells, but they must first replicate to ensure there are enough to maintain a stable number of supporting cells and form new hair cells. Dabdoub thinks that exploiting the proliferation-enhancing properties of Wnt signalling will help achieve this. His finding that Kremen1 plays an important role in cell fate decisions in the cochlea will be critical to future efforts to regenerate hair cells. “This is a molecule that we should keep an eye on as we work towards regeneration,” he says.

Funding for this study came from the Hearing Health Foundation’s Hearing Restoration Project, Koerner Foundation and Sunnybrook Hearing Regeneration Initiative.

This blog was reposted with the permission of Sunnybrook Research Institute.
 

We need your help in funding the exciting work of hearing and balance scientists.

To donate today to support HHF's groundbreaking research,

please visit hhf.org/donate.

A Balancing Act

By Morgan Leppla

Balancing is pretty great. Not needing to think about how to stand upright is something I yield great benefit from, but is something that occurs without conscious effort or thought. I am fortunate, but many are not. This week is Balance Awareness Week, and HHF is highlighting the the inner ear and its mechanics!

The inner ear is a tiny but notable body part; not only is it important to hearing, but it is also where the balance organs and nerves are located.

The basic components of the inner ear include semicircular canals, the cochlea, the utricle, the saccule, and the vestibulocochlear nerve. The cochlea and one half of the vestibulocochlear nerve (the cochlear nerve) are in charge of hearing. The remaining semicircular canals, utricle, saccule, and vestibular nerve are responsible for balance.

There are three semicircular canals that contain fluid to activate sensory hair cells, which are arranged at ninety degree angles and detect different kinds of movement: up and down, side to side, and tilting. The utricle connects the semicircular canals to the saccule, which also detect motion. They are located in the vestibule inside of the labyrinth, which is the bony outer wall of the inner ear. All of this is the vestibular system.

But it is not only the vestibular system that assists with balance. Vision and sensory receptors (muscles, joints, skin, etc.) all transmit messages to the brain that work together and voila! balance.

Vestibular disorders can have a big effect on one’s equilibrium. People might experience dizziness, vertigo, or imbalance, as well as other inner ear-related issues. A commonly diagnosed  balance disorder is Meniere’s disease, which is one focus areas for our Emerging Research Grant (ERG) recipients.

Balance disorders can disrupt everyday life for those who experience them. It is also fairly common - in fact, about 69 million Americans or 35% of adults aged 40 and up have experiences vestibular dysfunction at some point in their life!

While it might be hard to believe something as tiny as the inner ear can affect a person’s ability to participate fully in daily life, HHF is fully committed to funding research that explores hearing and balance health.

Donate today to support groundbreaking research! 

We need your help in funding the exciting work of hearing and balance scientists.

We're Partnering With The Mighty!

By Benjamin Sherman

We're thrilled to announce a new partnership that will bring Hearing Health Foundation’s (HHF) resources in front of The Mighty's wide-reaching readership. HHF is excited to share with you our partner page on The Mighty and our logo will appear next to many stories on the site.

For those who don’t know, The Mighty is a story-based health community focused on improving the lives of people facing disease, disorder, mental illness and disability. More than half of Americans are facing serious health conditions or medical issues. They want more than information. They want to be inspired. The Mighty publishes real stories about real people facing real challenges.

HHF is dedicated to helping people with hearing loss, tinnitus, and other hearing conditions live their lives to the fullest. With this partnership, we'll be able to help even more people.

Interested in partnering with Hearing Health Foundation?

Learn more here: http://hearinghealthfoundation.org/become-partner