As the nation prepares for the holiday season towards the end of the year, our team at Desert Valley Audiology is also interested in raising awareness around diabetes. The month of November is also American Diabetes Month.
Diabetes has long been linked to hearing loss, but new research prompts hearing health professionals to recommend regular hearing tests for diabetes patients. The National Institutes of Health carried out a study that found that hearing loss is about twice as likely among people with diabetes as it is in the general population. With nearly 30 million adults in the United States diagnosed as diabetic and another 84 million qualifying as pre-diabetic, this relationship between the two health conditions shouldn’t be taken lightly.
What is Diabetes?
Of particular concern is the jump in diabetic Americans in the last decade. Over the last ten years, reported cases of diabetes have more than doubled. The alarming rise of this severe health condition is a global concern, too. The World Health Organization predicts that more than 380 million cases of diabetes will double by the year 2030.
Diabetes itself affects the way the body processes insulin. When functioning at normal levels, the body turns food into sugars, or glucose, at which point the pancreas releases insulin. The insulin opens the cells, allowing the glucose to enter and be processed as the energy that fuels the human body. Diabetes stops that process in its tracks by either not producing insulin or not producing enough to open the cells and turn glucose into energy.
Types of Diabetes
The two most common types of diabetes are Type 1 and Type 2, although other forms exist. People with Type 1 diabetes have an insulin system that malfunctions by mistaking insulin-producing cells in the pancreas as foreign agents and destroying them. Without these cells, the energy from caloric intake cannot be processed.
Type 2 diabetes is much more common. People with this condition can produce some of their insulin, but it’s often not enough. On some occasions, cells don’t respond to the produced insulin, which is called insulin resistance.
Who is at risk?
Medical professionals aren’t entirely sure what causes Type 1 diabetes, although it is regarded as the more severe presentation of the condition. If left untreated, the blood sugars in people with this type of diabetes get dangerously high and damage the eyes, kidneys, nerves, and heart. It can also lead to coma or death in extreme cases.
Type 2 diabetes is often attributed to a sedentary lifestyle and obesity, and current treatment most likely focuses on diet and exercise. If blood sugar levels remain too high, medications can be introduced to help the body use its insulin more effectively or prescribed insulin injections.
How could Diabetes damage hearing health?
Because diabetes has such a close relationship with cellular health, it’s probable that the high blood glucose levels linked with diabetes cause damage to the inner ear’s tiny blood vessels. This is comparable to how an excess of glucose in the body might harm the eyes or kidneys.
Our auditory systems rely heavily on healthy blood vessels in the inner ear, which are extremely sensitive to blood flow. Inadequate blood flow or trauma to these vital nerves and cells can irrevocably damage healthy hearing.
Keep an eye on your health
Because the inner ear is so sensitive to blood flow, regular hearing tests can reveal much about the general health of the cardiovascular system. Irregularities or slight fluctuations in hearing may even be the first place that signs of restricted or abnormal blood flow appear in the body. Diabetes complicates this just enough to ensure that people with the condition make it a point to closely monitor their hearing health because we know the danger is already present.
Early diagnosis is critical
While diabetes in our modern world is often a very manageable condition, the extent of hearing loss is likely irreversible beyond the stage that intervention is enacted. The best way to maintain optimum hearing health is to catch any decline in its earliest stages. Self-diagnosis of hearing loss is a tricky situation because the signs can be so incredibly subtle. Contact us for a thorough conversation and a comprehensive hearing test. Hearing tests are a significant first step in finding out if hearing loss is present in your life and the best route to take in minimizing its impact.