Recent research has shown hearing loss is twice as common in people who have diabetes and those who don’t. If you have diabetes and hearing loss, the following medically-reviewed article from Healthline.com article may help.

Between 90 and 95 percent of people with diabetes have Type 2, which can develop at any age.

Management of this disease is crucial. When blood sugar levels aren’t well-controlled, your risk of developing hearing loss may increase.

Studies show that hearing loss is twice as common in people who have diabetes than in those who don’t.

In 2008 researchers analysed data from hearing tests of adults between the ages of 20 and 69. They concluded that diabetes may contribute to hearing loss by damaging nerves and blood vessels. Similar studies have shown a possible link between hearing loss and nerve damage.

The study’s authors made no distinction between type 1 and type 2, the two main types of diabetes. But almost all participants had type 2. The authors also cautioned that noise exposure and presence of diabetes was self-reported.

In 2013, researchers analysed studies carried out from 1974 to 2011 on diabetes and hearing loss. They concluded that people with diabetes were twice as likely to have hearing loss than people without diabetes. However, these researchers did note several limitations, such as the data being based on observational studies.

What causes or contributes to hearing loss in people with diabetes isn’t clear.

It’s known that high blood sugar can damage blood vessels throughout the body, including your ears. If you’ve had diabetes for a long time and it isn’t well-controlled, there could be damage to the vast network of small blood vessels in your ears.

Research suggests that women with diabetes may experience greater hearing loss than those without the disease. This also applies to women with well-controlled diabetes.

Another complication of diabetes is nerve damage. It’s possible that damage to the auditory nerves could lead to hearing loss.

More research is needed to fully understand the link between diabetes and hearing loss.

If you have diabetes, you should have your hearing checked each year. At Hearing Wales a full clinical hearing test and hearing health check is completely free. If you do have some hearing loss we are completely independent which

The best way to avoid hearing loss and other complications is to:

• Follow your medication plan.
• Closely monitor your blood sugar levels.
• Reduce hypertension
• Manage your weight.
• Exercise daily if you can.