{"id":614,"date":"2021-11-18T00:50:07","date_gmt":"2021-11-18T00:50:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/torranceaudiology.com\/?p=614"},"modified":"2021-11-18T00:50:07","modified_gmt":"2021-11-18T00:50:07","slug":"national-diabetes-month-how-diabetes-hearing-loss-are-linked","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/torranceaudiology.com\/national-diabetes-month-how-diabetes-hearing-loss-are-linked\/","title":{"rendered":"National Diabetes Month: How Diabetes & Hearing Loss Are Linked"},"content":{"rendered":"

Did you know that November is National Diabetes Month? This means there\u2019s no better time to learn about diabetes and its connection to other disorders, including hearing loss. We review a study linking diabetes to hearing loss<\/a> and discuss how the two conditions are related below.<\/p>\n

What the Research Shows\"Hearing<\/h2>\n

The study<\/a>, which was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine <\/em>in 2008, was conducted by researchers affiliated with the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), the National Institute of Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), the National Institute of Health (NIH) and Social & Scientific Systems, Inc.<\/p>\n

Researchers analyzed data from participants aged 20 to 69 that was collected from 1999 to 2004. Of the total number of participants, 2,259 received both hearing and blood glucose tests; the results of these tests were key to the findings of this study.<\/p>\n

The researchers found that people with diabetes are twice as likely to have hearing loss compared to people without the disease, and that people who are pre-diabetic are 30% more likely to have hearing loss compared to people who aren\u2019t.<\/p>\n

The study authors report, \u201cThis is the first study of a nationally representative sample of working age adults, 20 to 69 years old, and we found an association between diabetes and hearing impairment evident as early as ages 30 to 40.\u201d<\/p>\n

Why Are These Conditions Linked?<\/h2>\n

Experts aren\u2019t sure why exactly there\u2019s such a strong link between diabetes and hearing loss<\/a>, though there are a few hypotheses:<\/p>\n