Diabetes and Hearing Health

Hearing loss is about twice as common in adults with diabetes compared to those who do not have the disease, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Yet hearing screenings typically are not part of the regular regimen of care that people with diabetes are routinely recommended to receive. Nor do the vast majority of doctors in today’s health care system include hearing health as a routine part of annual exams.

The NIH-funded study found a strong and consistent link between hearing impairment and diabetes. The link between diabetes and hearing loss was evident across all frequencies, with a stronger association in the high frequency range. And an association between diabetes and hearing impairment was evident as early as ages 30 to 40.

Adults with pre-diabetes, whose blood glucose is higher than normal but not high enough for a diabetes diagnosis, had a 30 percent higher rate of hearing loss compared to those with normal blood sugar tested after an overnight fast.

Diabetes may lead to hearing loss by damaging the nerves and blood vessels of the inner ear, the study researchers suggest. Autopsy studies of diabetes patients have shown evidence of such damage.

People with diabetes can take a quick and confidential online hearing test today, at www.hearingcheck.org, to determine if they need a comprehensive hearing check by a hearing professional.

About Hearing Health

One of the most commonly unaddressed health conditions in America today, hearing loss affects more than 34 million Americans—most of whom are below retirement age.

Hearing loss can strike at any time and at any age. And when left unaddressed, hearing loss can affect virtually every aspect of an individual's life. Numerous studies, in fact, have linked untreated hearing loss to a wide range of physical and emotional conditions, including irritability, negativism, anger, fatigue, tension, stress, depression, avoidance or withdrawal from social situations, social rejection and loneliness, reduced alertness and increased risk to personal safety, impaired memory and ability to learn new tasks, reduced job performance and earning power, and diminished psychological and overall physical health.

Despite the far-reaching impact hearing loss has on so many aspects of an individual's life, many people who are aware that their hearing has deteriorated are nevertheless reluctant to many people who are aware that their hearing has deteriorated are nevertheless reluctant to seek help. Unfortunately, too many wait years, even decades, before getting treatment, becoming more and more disconnected as time goes by. Unfortunately, too many wait years, even decades, before getting treatment, becoming more and more disconnected as time goes by.

But the fact is that with modern advances in technology, there are solutions for many. In fact, 90 to 95 percent of people with hearing loss can be helped with hearing aids—and their quality of life significantly improved.

About Diabetes

Source: American Diabetes Association

Type 1 diabetes is usually diagnosed in children and young adults, and was previously known as juvenile diabetes. In type 1 diabetes, the body does not produce insulin. Insulin is a hormone that is needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy needed for daily life. Only five to ten percent of people with diabetes have this form of the disease. With the help of insulin therapy and other treatments, even young children with type 1 diabetes can learn to manage their condition and live long, healthy, happy lives.

Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes. Millions of Americans have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, and many more are unaware they are at high risk. Some groups have a higher risk for developing type 2 diabetes than others. Type 2 diabetes is more common in African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, and Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders, and, as well as the aged population.

In type 2 diabetes, either the body does not produce enough insulin or the cells ignore the insulin. Insulin is necessary for the body to be able to use glucose for energy. When you eat food, the body breaks down all of the sugars and starches into glucose, which is the basic fuel for the cells in the body. Insulin takes the sugar from the blood into the cells. When glucose builds up in the blood instead of going into cells, it can lead to diabetes complications.

To learn more about diabetes, visit www.diabetes.org.

Common Signs and Symptoms of Hearing Loss

The signs of hearing loss can be subtle and emerge slowly, or they can be significant and come on suddenly. Either way, there are common indications.

Socially, individuals with hearing loss may:

• require frequent repetition;
• have difficulty following conversations involving more than two people;
• think that other people sound muffled or mumble;
• have difficulty hearing in noisy situations, like conferences, restaurants, malls, or crowded meeting rooms;
• have trouble hearing children and women;
• keep the TV or radio turned up to a high volume;
• answer or respond inappropriately in conversations;
• have ringing in their ears; and/or
• read lips or more intently watch people's faces when in conversation.

Emotionally, individuals with hearing loss may:

• feel stressed from straining to hear what others are saying;
• feel annoyed at others because they can't hear or understand them;
• feel embarrassed when meeting new people or after misunderstanding what others are saying;
• feel nervous about trying to hear and understand; and/or
• withdraw from social situations that they once enjoyed.

Medically, individuals with hearing loss may:

• have a family history of hearing loss;
• take medications that can harm the hearing system (ototoxic drugs);
• have diabetes, heart, circulation, or thyroid problems; and/or
• have been exposed to very loud sounds over a long period or suffered a single exposure to explosive noise.

Eye-Opening Facts about Hearing Loss

• Approximately one in 10 Americans has some degree of hearing loss. It may reach 44 million by 2030.
• Only 14 percent of physicians today ask patients if they have any hearing problems.
• People with untreated hearing loss are more likely to report depression, anxiety, and paranoia and less likely to participate in organized activities, compared to those who wear hearing aids, according to a survey by the National Council on the Aging (NCOA) of 2,300 hearing-impaired adults, age 50 or older.
• Untreated mild to moderate hearing loss is associated with short-term memory loss, according to a Brandeis University study.
• People with untreated hearing loss make, on average, up to $23,000 less per year, depending on the degree of their hearing loss. Wearing hearing aids mitigates the loss in earnings about 50 percent.
• Nine out of ten hearing aid users report improvements in their quality of life, according to a survey by the Better Hearing Institute of more than 2,300 consumers.

Seeking Help for Hearing Loss

Hearing aids hold such great potential to positively change so many lives. And advances in digital technology have dramatically improved hearing aids, making them smaller than ever with far better sound quality. Nevertheless, only one in five people who could benefit from hearing devices currently wear them. The Better Hearing Institute encourages all people with a hearing loss to seek assistance from a hearing healthcare professional and to explore the options for improving their hearing—and their lives.

###

Founded in 1973, the Better Hearing Institute conducts research and engages in hearing health education with the goal of helping people with hearing loss to benefit from proper treatment. For more information on hearing loss, visit www.betterhearing.org.