Hearing Loss and Diabetes May Be LInked
Hearing loss is more than twice as common in people with diabetes than in people without the condition, according to an analysis of 13 studies. However, no cause and effect was found when Japanese researchers pooled the results of studies involving nearly 8,800 people with hearing impairment, of whom more than 1,000 had diabetes, and 23,839 people without hearing impairment, of whom nearly 2,500 had diabetes.
It’s unknown why hearing loss is more common among people with diabetes, but most researchers believe that damage to the blood vessels is the main culprit, according to Pamela D. Parker, MD, of the A.T. Still University School of Osteopathic Medicine in Mesa, Ariz.. Autopsy studies of diabetes patients have shown that high blood sugar levels have damaged small blood vessels of the inner ear making it more difficult to hear.
For me, I just wonder what the AGES were of those who had Diabetes and Hearing Loss? As we age, of course, the ability to hear decreases gradually and significantly. It would be interesting to see how age, diabetes, and hearing loss are related.
