Social Work Today E-Zine

Hearing loss is about twice as common in adults with diabetes compared with those who do not have the disease, according to a new study funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

"Hearing loss may be an under-recognized complication of diabetes. As diabetes becomes more common, the disease may become a more significant contributor to hearing loss," says senior author Catherine Cowie, PhD, of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), who suggested that people with diabetes should consider having their hearing tested. "Our study found a strong and consistent link between hearing impairment and diabetes using a number of different outcomes."

The researchers discovered the higher rate of hearing loss in those with diabetes after analyzing the results of hearing tests given to a nationally representative sample of adults in the United States. The test measured participants' ability to hear low, middle, and high frequency sounds in both ears. The link between diabetes and hearing loss was evident across all frequencies, with a stronger association in the high frequency range. Mild or greater hearing impairment of low- or mid-frequency sounds in the worse ear was about 21% in 399 adults with diabetes compared with about 9% in 4,741 adults without diabetes. For high frequency sounds, mild or greater hearing impairment in the worse ear was 54% in those with diabetes compared with 32% in those who did not have the disease.

"The link between diabetes and hearing loss has been debated since the 1960s or before, and our results show that a relationship exists even when we account for the major factors known to affect hearing, such as age, race, ethnicity, income level, noise exposure, and the use of certain medications," notes Kathleen Bainbridge, PhD, of Social & Scientific Systems, Inc.

— Source: National Institutes of Health