“Osteoporosis”—it means, “porous bone” and refers to a condition in which old bone begins to be replaced more slowly than before; that leads to a decrease in the density and quality of bone, making breakage far more likely.

You’ve probably heard quite a bit about osteoporosis in relation to the risks of falls in older people.

What might surprise you about osteoporosis is that it shares a trait with diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease and other maladies like hearing loss.

In fact, one study found that osteoporosis may nearly double one’s risk of sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSHL).

Just how or why osteoporosis contributes to the likelihood of SSHL is yet to be determined. But the connection between those conditions has been recognized for a while, now.

Among the most recent reports is a study out of Taiwan, published in 2015.

Taiwan researchers who studied a random sampling of 1 million people found that patients with osteoporosis had close to a two-fold risk of SSHL.

Those who appeared to be at the greatest risk were women, in general, and adults 50-plus; patients with hypertension also indicated an increased SSHL risk.