Escúchame: el sorprendente vínculo entre la diabetes y la pérdida auditiva

Se estima que 34 millones de personas en los EE. UU. tienen diabetes y 34.5 millones tienen algún tipo de pérdida auditiva. Pero, ¿sabías que hay una superposición considerable entre estos dos grandes grupos?

According to the American Diabetes Association, a recent study found that hearing loss is twice as common in people with diabetes as it is in those who don’t have the disease. Of the 88 million adults in the U.S. who have prediabetes, the rate of hearing loss is 30 percent higher than in those with normal blood glucose. These risks increase if you have other conditions, such as neuropathies, high blood pressure or cardiovascular disease. Evidence has also long shown that older adults with moderate to severe hearing loss are more likely to report a lower quality of life, defined by their ability to perform normal activities of daily living.

Right now, it’s unclear how exactly diabetes leads to hearing loss. The prevailing view is that poor blood sugar management—namely, high blood glucose levels associated with diabetes—damages small blood vessels in the inner ear, similar to the way in which it can damage your eyes and kidneys. 

Cómo proteger su audición si tiene diabetes

¿Entonces que puedes hacer? Think EAR: Evaluación-Concienciación-Reducción de riesgos.

Evaluación

If you have diabetes, a professional hearing screening can be one useful, early precaution. Even if you don’t have hearing impairment now, it’ll provide you and your diabetes care team with a baseline for further checks down the road. In fact, in the latest 2021 Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes, audiology screening has now been added to the list of referrals to consider for initial care management. 

Related: 4 things to watch for if your diabetes goes unchecked

Conciencia

A second thing you can do is be intentional about constantly keeping on top of your hearing yourself. You don’t have to be an audiologist or have special equipment to recognize when you’re starting to experience hearing loss. A number of validated self-assessment tools are available to you, such as the Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly Screening (HHIE-S) from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, or this simple set of yes/no starter questions:

• ¿Tienes problemas para oír por teléfono?
• ¿Oyes mejor con un oído que con el otro cuando hablas por teléfono?
• ¿Tiene problemas para entender cuando dos o más personas hablan al mismo tiempo?
• ¿La gente se queja de que subes demasiado el volumen de la televisión?
• ¿Tienes que esforzarte para entender lo que dice la gente?
• ¿Tiene problemas para oír en un lugar ruidoso?
• ¿Tiene problemas para oír en los restaurantes?
• ¿Tiene mareos, dolor o zumbido en los oídos?
• ¿Le pides a la gente que repita lo que dijo?
• ¿Los miembros de la familia o los compañeros de trabajo le dicen que no escucha lo que dicen?
• ¿Muchas personas con las que habla parecen balbucear o no hablar con claridad?
• ¿Tiene problemas para entender a las mujeres y los niños?
• ¿La gente se molesta porque no entiendes lo que dicen?

The Down’s Audiogram may help even you get a picture of what decibels you are and aren’t hearing. If you answer yes to a few of these questions, or feel your hearing certain decibels has diminished, talk to your care team about getting your hearing medically evaluated.

Related: Making diabetes self-care a family affair

La reducción de riesgos

Do you know how diabetes can affect all aspects of your body, including hearing? Do you know how you can significantly reduce these risks of complications? A third thing you can do is to equip yourself through formal diabetes self-care training, where educators will show you daily lifestyle skills to manage your blood sugars effectively, practical strategies to lower your risks of longer-term, diabetes-related complications like hearing loss, and simple tips to protect hearing from potentially harmful loud noisesaround you.

Want to learn more about diabetes self-care? Talk to a diabetes care and education specialist today.