Hearing Loss and Diabetes Research
One in seven American adults has Type 2 diabetes – a staggering increase from the 1970’s when one in 20 adults had the condition. Besides the obvious risks to overall health, Type 2 diabetes mellitus has been implicated as a risk factor for hearing loss, with possible causes including microvascular disease, acoustic neuropathy or oxidative stress.
A longitudinal British study of 139,909 women examined the relationship between type 2 diabetes and the risk of self-reported hearing loss with the following results:
- During >2.4 million person-years of follow-up, 664 cases of moderate or worse hearing loss were reported among those with type 2 diabetes and 10,022 cases among those without type 2 diabetes.
- Compared with women who did not have type 2 diabetes, those with type 2 diabetes were at higher risk for incident moderate or worse hearing loss (pooled multivariable-adjusted HR 1.16 [95% Cl 1.07, 1.27]).
- Participants who had type 2 diabetes for 8 years had a higher risk of moderate or worse hearing loss compared with those without type 2 diabetes (pooled multivariable-adjusted HR 1.24 [95% Cl 1.10, 1.40]).
CONCLUSIONS:
In this large longitudinal study, Type 2 diabetes was associated with a modestly higher risk of moderate or worse hearing loss. Furthermore, longer duration diabetes was associated with a higher risk of moderate or worse hearing loss. It is important to seek treatment for hearing loss as part of an overall strategy to preserve good health and a good quality of life. This includes:
- Annual hearing exams by a hearing care professional.
- If a hearing loss is present, be fit with hearing aids that are professionally prescribed based on the patient’s hearing loss and needs.
Study: Gupta, S., Eavey, R. D., Wang, M., Curhan, S. G., & Curhan, G. C. (2019). Type 2 diabetes and the risk of incident hearing loss. Diabetologia, 62(2), 281-285
