Evidence for Chronic Inflammation to be a Significant Factor in Age-Related Hearing Loss

Hearing loss is a prevalent problem with age, the result of loss of sensory hair cells of the inner ear, or as seems more likely in recent years, damage to those parts of the peripheral nervous system connecting hair cells to the brain. Chronic inflammation is a noted aspect of aging, excessive activity of the immune system, and is very disruptive to tissue function and maintenance throughout the body. Researchers here provide evidence to suggest that this persistent inflammation in older individuals is an important factor in age-related hearing loss. Age-related hearing loss (AHL) or presbycusis is a universal sensory disorder in modern society and affects about 25-40% of people over 65 years. The underlying mechanisms of AHL include oxidative stress, mitochondrial DNA mutations, autophagy impairment, and non-coding RNA disorders. However, the mechanism of cochlear degeneration during aging is still not fully understood. In recent years, the effects of inflammation on aging-related disorders have been extensively investigated. During aging, the body suffers from chronic low-grade inflammation, a phenomenon also referred to as "inflammaging". Chronic inflammation is a consequence of immunosenescence, the aging of the immune system, and is primarily characterized by increased levels of proinflammatory cytokines in response to various stressors. However, only little research on the potential role of inflammation in AHL has been reported. The current study was de...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs