Uncontrolled diabetes increases the risk of hearing loss due to the damage high blood sugar causes to blood vessels and nerves essential for hearing. Despite this, hearing health is rarely prioritised in diabetes care, but now, doctors are calling for the government to recognise and include hearing screening in routine diabetes care. Stating that access to holistic diabetes care is crucial to address the overlooked link between diabetes and hearing loss, a condition affecting several diabetics worldwide, Rajesh Kesari, executive council member, Research Society for Study of Diabetes in India, Delhi Chapter, says that there is a close relationship between diabetes and hearing loss. Hearing loss occurs twice as frequently in patients with uncontrolled diabetes as compared to the non-diabetic population, he adds. The WHO estimates that 466 million people worldwide have disabling hearing loss and acknowledges that people with diabetes are twice as likely to experience hearing loss than those who don’t have diabetes.

Source: The Hindu November 13, 2024 22:38 UTC