In the case of Operation Diabetes this task is taken on by Grace Pestinger (P2) The main goal for our Operation Diabetes campaign this year was to get the …
EMBARGOED FOR 5:00 PM EDT, MONDAY, JUNE 16, 2008 Media Contact: Steve
Majewski, ACP
smajewski@acponlineorg or 215-351-2514
New Study: Hearing Impairment is Common Among Adults With Diabetes
Hearing impairment may be an under-recognized complication of diabetes
Philadelphia, June 17, 2008 - Hearing impairment is common in adults with
diabetes, and diabetes seems to be an independent risk factor for the
condition according to a study published today on the Web site of Annals of
Internal Medicine
We found that hearing loss was much more common in people with
diabetes than people without the disease, says Kathleen E Bainbridge,
PhD, the studys lead researcher The hearing loss we detected did not
seem to be caused by other factors such as exposure to loud noises, certain
medicines, and smoking
Using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, collected
by the National Center for Health Statistics from 1999 to 2004, the
researchers analyzed data from 5,140 adults aged 20 to 69 who completed an
audiometric examination and a diabetes questionnaire
Hearing impairment was more prevalent among adults with diabetes Age-
adjusted prevalence of low-
or mid-frequency hearing impairment of mild or
greater severity assessed in the worse ear was 213 percent among 399
adults with diabetes compared to 94 percent among 4,741 adults without
diabetes These differences in hearing between people with and without
diabetes were present in both sexes; all groups of race or ethnicity,
education, and income; and all age groups but the oldest
Similarly, age-adjusted prevalence of high-frequency hearing
impairment of mild or greater severity assessed in the worse ear was 541
percent among adults with diabetes compared to 32 percent among adults
without diabetes
Diabetes, which can damage small blood vessels and nerves in the
body, affects an estimated 96 percent of the US adult population
It is possible that high blood sugar levels damage the small blood
vessels and nerves of the inner ear, resulting in hearing impairment, says
Bainbridge People with diabetes might benefit from having their hearing
checked
Hearing impairment was assessed from the pure tone average of
thresholds over low or mid-frequencies 500; 1,000; and 2,000 Hz and high
frequencies 3,000; 4,000; 6,000; and 8,000 Hz and was defined as mild or
greater
severity pure tone average greater than 25 decibels hearing level
and moderate or greater severity pure tone average greater than 40
decibels hearing level Hearing loss is reported by more than 17 percent
of the US adult population
The editors of Annals of Internal Medicine caution that diabetes was
self-reported and was verified in only a small fraction of participants,
and the researchers did not distinguish between type 1 and type 2 diabetes
Noise exposure was based on participant recall
The study, Diabetes and Hearing Impairment in the United States:
Audiometric Evidence from the National Health and Nutrition Examination
Surveys, 1999 to 2004, also will be published in the July 1, 2008, print
issue of Annals of Internal Medicine The National Institute of Diabetes
and Digestive and Kidney Diseases funded the research
In an accompanying editorial, Keiko Hirose, MD, of Washington
University, writes, We have few current therapeutic options for
progressive hearing loss from any cause, and the study of hearing loss in
diabetic patients could lead to important progress in new techniques of
studying and treating microvascular disease of the inner ear
Annals of
Internal Medicine is one of the most widely cited peer-
reviewed medical journals in the world The journal has been published for
81 years and accepts only 7 percent of the original research studies
submitted for publication Annals of Internal Medicine is published by the
American College of Physicians ACP, the largest medical specialty
organization and the second-largest physician group in the United States
ACP members include 125,000 internal medicine physicians
internists, related subspecialists, and medical students Internists
specialize in the prevention, detection, and treatment of illness in
adults
Source:cnhs.umb.edu
