Parkinson's disease may increase risk of hearing loss.

A recent study out of Taiwan has found that Parkinson's disease is associated with a higher risk of hearing loss. In fact, the incidence of hearing loss was almost double in people with Parkinson's.

Parkinson's disease is associated with a decrease in the neurotransmitter dopamine. Low dopamine can also result in damage to the sensory organ of hearing, the cochlea, causing hearing loss.

Sources:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ http://www.hear- it.org/parkinsons-disease-may-also-result-hearing-loss