All too often, hearing loss is just one of those things that happen as the body ages, often without a concrete, identifiable cause. As audiologists, our greatest joy is helping a person who has hearing loss regain their hearing with the use of hearing aids, assistive listening devices, or even a simple ear wax removal. Better yet, however, would be if we could prevent hearing loss altogether. That’s why we would like to draw your attention to some of the latest hearing research.
Late last year, The Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism proclaimed that “Patients with diabetes have a significantly higher prevalence of hearing impairment than patients without diabetes.” While the connection has not been proven and is still somewhat controversial, researchers from Niigata University in Japan believe that over time, high blood glucose levels damage the vessels and nerves that assist with hearing. They found that people with diabetes were twice as likely to have hearing loss.
While a cure or preventative for diabetes has not yet been discovered, reducing and even preventing some of the disease’s symptoms is quite possible. Symptoms are often complex and have cascading effects. For example, if hearing loss were a symptom of diabetes, a whole new subset of hearing-loss symptoms might be added to the patient’s ailments. For example, hearing loss can be a causal factor for depression and dementia. The leading researcher states, “Our results propose that diabetic patients be screened for hearing impairment from earlier age compared with non-diabetics, from the viewpoint of prevention of several health problems such as depression and dementia cause by hearing impairment.”
That’s where we come to your aid. We firmly believe that the most important factor in finding a successful solution to your hearing loss is having an audiologist who really listens to you and answers your questions thoroughly. We are also committed to working in partnership with your family doctor and other health care providers to ensure that you receive only the highest quality health and hearing care.
If you are diabetic and would like to schedule a hearing test, call our office today. We offer a full range of hearing services including:
- Hearing tests
- Ear wax removal
- Ear molds
- Hearing Protection
- Middle ear testing
- Aural rehabilitation
- Hearing aids
- Assistive listening devices (ALDs)
