Southwest Florida's Health and Wellness Magazine Health and Wellness Articles
Can Cause Hearing Loss in Women
– By Dr. Noël Crosby, Au.D., Director, Advanced Hearing Center, Englewood, FL –
In a recent study of 990 patients by Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, MI, it was discovered that having diabetes can cause women to experience a greater degree of hearing loss as they age, especially when diabetes is not controlled through treatment.1
The study also revealed that women ages 60-75 with well-controlled diabetes had similar hearing levels to non-diabetic women of the same age. However, women younger than age 60, even with well-controlled diabetes, experienced significantly worse hearing. (Men, regardless of age or whether or not they had diabetes had worse hearing.)
Hearing Loss Often Accelerated with Diabetes
“A certain degree of hearing loss is a normal part of the aging process for all of us, but it is often accelerated in patients with diabetes, especially if blood-glucose levels are not being controlled with medication and diet,” says Derek J. Handzo, D.O., with the Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery at Henry Ford.
“Our study really points to the importance of patients controlling their diabetes, especially as they age, based on the impact it may have on hearing loss.”
Diabetes is not to be taken lightly. It is a serious disease that affects nearly 26 million children and adults in the United States. An additional 79 million, or one in three American adults, have pre-diabetes, which puts them at high risk for developing type 2 diabetes. People who are overweight, under active (living a sedentary lifestyle) and over the age of 45 should consider themselves at risk for the disease.2
Hearing Loss Linked to Physical and Emotional Conditions
Hearing loss is one of the most commonly unaddressed health conditions in America today, and affects more than 34 million Americans. Six out of ten Americans with hearing loss are below retirement age.
Numerous studies have linked untreated hearing loss to a wide range of physical and emotional conditions, including irritability, negativism, anger, fatigue, tension, stress, depression, avoidance or withdrawal from social situations, social rejection and loneliness, reduced alertness and increased risk to personal safety, impaired memory and ability to learn new tasks, reduced job performance and earning power, and diminished psychological and overall health.3
Take the Diabetes Risk Test Online
Advanced Hearing Solutions in Englewood, FL is urging all Americans to take the Diabetes Risk Test found online at http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/prevention/diabetes-risk-test/. The Diabetes Risk Test asks users to answer simple questions about weight, age, family history and other potential risk factors for pre-diabetes or type 2 diabetes. Preventative tips are provided for everyone who takes the test, including encouraging those at high risk to talk with their health care provider.
Take Action to Preserve Your Health
I believe that knowing your risk of diabetes enables you to take action to preserve your health. People with diabetes need to be aware of their hearing health to ensure they get the treatment they need for any hearing loss they may suffer. Because diabetes requires such careful lifestyle management, it is critically important that people with diabetes get their hearing checked regularly. Diabetes is hard enough. It doesn’t need to be compounded by leaving potentially related hearing loss unaddressed.
For more information, please contact me at Advanced Hearing Solutions, 941-474-8393, or visit www.drnoelcrosby.com.
