Diabetes is becoming an extremely common disease, making it a large contributor to hearing loss. Though under-recognized, hearing loss can be a serious complication of uncontrolled diabetes.

In 2008, the National Institute of Health (NHI) conducted a study that showed hearing loss is about twice as likely to occur in adults with type 1 and type 2 diabetes than those who do not have the disease. After testing over 4,700 participants, the NHI found that there was a strong correlation between diabetes and the participant’s ability to hear a range of frequencies in both ears. Of those participants with diabetes, 54% reported a hearing loss of high-frequency sounds.  Continue reading →