The Connections between Diabetes and Hearing Loss

If you have, or have been diagnosed with diabetes, the risks of this disease may include heart attack, stroke, kidney failure and blindness. What most researchers are now discovering is that diabetes can also lead to hearing loss. They are not sure exactly how, but the connection between diabetes and hearing loss is apparent. Here are the facts behind diabetes, and the connection between diabetes and hearing loss worth knowing about. Before figuring out what causes diabetes and hearing loss, it is best to know what diabetes is. Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce enough insulin to control the blood glucose levels in their body. The pancreas releases insulin that breaks down the glucose and directs it into the body’s cells for energy. Whatever is left over is stored within the liver.

There are two types of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is when the body does not produce any insulin at all, and most people suffering from this type of diabetes are usually born with it. Type 2 diabetes results from not enough insulin being produced to control blood glucose levels. Doctors believe that this is a result of obesity and deficiency in exercise. These two types of diabetes are not curable, but can be treated with medication and/or insulin shots. You should always seek treatment for any diabetic complications.

Link to Hearing Loss

When the blood glucose levels in the body are too high as a result of insufficient insulin being produced, that causes hyperglycemia which can have a damaging effect on the body’s cell and nerve tissue. Researchers believe that the damaging diabetes creates also effects the cell tissue in the auditory part of the brain. It is also believed that diabetes and hearing loss is a result of the improper blood flow to the auditory system of the brain that causes such hearing loss. Researchers are finding that the link to diabetes and hearing loss is the same as of diabetes to loss of vision, or blindness. When the body is not property handling sugar, this substance can wreak havoc amongst the cells in our body. If you are a diabetic, and are experience changes in hearing, it is best to visit your physician to see what can be done to prevent further cell damage, and to find out all you can about the connection between diabetes and hearing loss.