According to the World Health Organization (WHO) data, about 5% of the world population experience a hearing loss problem. Isolation, melancholy, and cognitive decline are all factors that might exacerbate when someone has hearing trouble.
Diabetes mellitus has been implicated as a risk factor for hearing loss. Hearing loss is approximately twice as common in adults with diabetes as in those who do not have the disease. The prevalence of hearing loss in type 2 diabetic patients varies from 34.4 to 60.2%, according to different studies. The pathology of hearing loss in diabetics remains unclear. Microangiopathy, auditory nerve demyelination, spiral ganglion cell loss, and organ of Corti atrophic changes are the suspected causes of diabetes-induced hearing loss.
Serum glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) level is the main biomarker for long-term glycemic control in individuals with diabetes. The serum HbA1c level evaluates and monitors the effectiveness of treatment given over a previous period, usually within the past two or three months.
Strong evidence supports that timely diagnosis and use of hearing aids can significantly improve quality of life, improve communication, and reduce depression and the rate of cognitive decline in patients with hearing loss. This makes it important to identify patients with T2DM who are at greater risk of developing hearing loss.