Diabetes and Hearing Loss Revisited – Study Results Shared at ADA Convention

At this past week's 67th meeting of the American Diabetes Association, researchers from Maryland shared the results of a five year study investigating the prevalence of hearing impairment in those with diabetes versus non-diabetic peers. 5140 individuals, aged 20-69 years old, participated in the study. Once age, gender, race/ ethnicity, education, income-to-poverty ratio and noise exposure were removed from the equation, results from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey revealed an increased likelihood of hearing impairment in those with diabetes. Previous research has described microvascular and neuropathic changes in the ear structures associated with diabetes. According to the scientists who presented these most recent results, “The high prevalence of (hearing impairment) among those with diabetes based on national data indicates that screening diabetic patients for hearing impairment is likely to yield a high number of these diagnoses.” The take-home message: hearing evaluations should be considered on an annual basis for all patients with diabetes. It is responsible preventive care.