Diabetes and hearing loss are an unlikely pair. Most people likely think that these 2 have no connection.
But did you know there actually is a connection between diabetes and hearing loss? That is right; there is a connection between diabetes and your hearing.
But how exactly do diabetes and hearing loss connect? And more importantly, can diabetes cause hearing loss?
Today, we will share whether diabetes causes hearing loss.
Can Diabetes Cause Hearing Loss?
Yes, diabetes can cause hearing loss. This fact is not widely known and can come as a surprise to many.
Now how exactly does diabetes cause hearing loss? Let us take a look down below.
How Does Diabetes Affect Hearing?
Diabetes can damage the nerves in your ears. High blood sugar levels in the inner ear can damage small blood vessels and nerves over time.
Low blood sugar can badly affect how nerve signals pass from the inner ear to the brain over time. Hearing loss can result from both types of nerve injury.
In other words, hearing loss is a possibility if the auditory nerves are damaged.
Also, if you have had diabetes for a long time and it’s not well controlled, the vast network of tiny blood arteries in your ears could be damaged.
According to this research, women with diabetes had a higher rate of hearing loss than those without the disease. This is also true for women who have diabetes under control.
How Common Is Diabetes-Related Hearing Loss?
Now, how frequent is hearing loss among diabetes patients? Is it more likely to happen with people with diabetes than those without?
According to a recent study, hearing loss is twice as likely in people with diabetes as it is in people without diabetes. Furthermore, the rate of hearing loss in the 133 million adults in the United States with prediabetes is 30 percent higher than in those with normal blood glucose levels.
You are more susceptible to hearing loss if you have trouble controlling your blood sugar levels. That’s why it’s critical to stick to your diabetes treatment plan, keep track of your progress, and contact your doctor regularly.
If you have both diabetes and hearing loss, this does not always imply that one causes the other. You could be losing your hearing for a variety of causes.
Other causes of hearing loss may include the following:
- Exposure to a loud sound, such as an explosion or even loud music
- Aging
- A family history of hearing loss
- A foreign object stuck in the ear
- Earwax accumulation
- Ear infections
- Structural problem in the ear
- Perforated eardrum
In conclusion, diabetes can cause hearing loss. Hearing loss is twice as likely to occur in patients who are suffering from diabetes. If you have diabetes, consulting your doctor and audiologist is vital for prevention and treatment.