Your hearing health involves more than just the auditory system. Being advocates for whole person care, we want you to hear the facts about how hearing loss relates to common medical conditions.
Did you know people with diabetes are about twice as likely to experience hearing loss as those without? Preventing or controlling diabetes may reduce the risks of struggling to enjoy life’s soundtrack.
With supportive intent, our Practice continually aims to provide reputable information about how hearing loss relates to various medical conditions. You and your loved ones deserve to know educational alignment with Public Health campaigns amplifies awareness waves.
As highlighted here:
“November is American Diabetes Month®, but this isn’t a time to celebrate. It’s a time to rally against the diabetes epidemic. Join us to uplift your loved ones living with diabetes and help all those in need across America.”
The Epidemic descriptor reflect trends that for U.S. adults 18 or older, diabetes prevalence has rapidly increased, with an estimated:*
#1. 37.3 million having it, 28.7 million diagnosed and 1 in 5 unaware.
#2. 96 million living with prediabetes, almost 30% whom are ages 65 or older.
#3. High blood sugar levels may damage the inner ear’s small blood vessels and nerves, diminishing hearing capabilities.
Realizing alarming statistics, consider Diabetes connections…
For a switch in understanding diabetes’ relationship to hearing loss, imagine the human body as a bustling city an all-encompassing circulatory system with its intricate power grid. In this comparison, your:
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heart is the main power plant, pumping energy (blood) citywide.
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blood vessels are power lines, delivering vital energy to every (organ and tissue) neighborhood.
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inner ear’s delicate structures are high-tech districts requiring stable power supplies to ensure peak performance.
Now, picture what occurs when diabetes pervades the circulatory scenes. Over time, systemic power surges may damage insulation on power (blood vessel) lines and overload sensitive (nerves) equipment. By analogy:
- Just as frayed power lines can’t transport electricity efficiently, damaged blood vessels struggle to adequately deliver non-toxic blood flow to inner ears.
- Like sensitive electronics damaged by power fluctuations, your ears’ delicate nerve structures (cochlea) can be harmed by high blood sugar levels.
- Ongoing stress on the city’s electrical infrastructure (circulatory and nervous systems) can eventually lead to struggles in your high-tech (hearing) district.
- Similar to city planners reinforcing power grids and protecting sensitive areas, managing diabetes and monitoring hearing health will facilitate maintaining essential systems that keep your “auditory city” running smoothly.
Do you have diabetes or family history that increases risks of diabetes-related hearing loss? Given daily challenges with having diabetes or caring for loved ones, communicating effectively is vital.
Please see us for periodic evaluations to monitor your type and degree of hearing loss. In close coordination with other healthcare providers, including primary care or endocrinologists, we will suggest healthy ways to reduce risks of inner ear damage, hear best and improve quality of life. Indeed, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
*https://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/priorities/diabetes-interventions.html?CDC_AAref_Val=https://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/programs-impact/pop/diabetes.htm