DIABETICS are twice as likely to suffer hearing loss than people without the disease, according to a nationwide study in Bahrain. Now diabetic patients are being urged to go for regular tests, to stave off hearing loss.
According to the World Health Organisation, diabetes currently affects more than 25.5 per cent of the Bahraini population while 40pc is at risk of developing the disease. This is one of the highest population percentages with diabetes in the world.
The hearing loss maybe a result of the damaging of the blood vessels and nerves of the inner ear linked to diabetes, says Hoora Health Centre family physician Dr Kawthar Al Eid.
"After a certain duration of the disease all blood vessels in the body will be affected," she said.
"Hearing loss is about twice as common in adults with diabetes compared to those without the disease.
"Hearing loss may be an unrecognised complication of diabetes. As diabetes becomes more common, it may become a more significant contributor to hearing loss.
"Our study found a strong and consistent link between hearing impairment and diabetes," she said.
Dr Al Eid and the team discovered the higher rate of hearing loss amongst those with diabetes after analysing the results of hearing tests given to a representative sample of adults in Bahrain.
"The test measured participants' ability to hear low, middle and high frequency sounds in both ears," said Dr Al Eid. "The link between diabetes and hearing loss was evident across all frequencies, with a stronger association in the high frequency range.
"Hearing impairment of low or mid-frequency sounds in the worse ear was about 21pc in 399 adults with diabetes, compared to about nine in 4,741 adults without it.
"For high frequency sounds, it was, in the worse ear, 54pc in those with diabetes compared to 32pc in those who did not have the disease.
"Adults with pre-diabetes, whose blood glucose is higher than normal but not high enough for a diabetes diagnosis, had a 30pc higher rate of hearing loss compared to those with normal blood sugar tested after overnight fasting."
aneeqa@gdn.com.bh
