Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) can indirectly influence cochlear function through microcirculatory changes that alter the ultrastructure of inner ear capillaries. Increasing evidence points to a link between T2DM and hearing loss (HL). To examine this association, researchers analyzed 17 studies that included 3,910 individuals with T2DM and 4,084 healthy controls. The review showed that the prevalence of HL in people with T2DM ranged from 40.6% to 71.9%, with an overall risk more than four times higher than in individuals without diabetes (odds ratio: 4.19).
Hearing loss was also more common among those who had lived with diabetes for over 10 years. On audiometric testing, the diabetic group demonstrated mean pure-tone thresholds that were 3.19 dB higher than controls, with elevated thresholds at both low (1.11 dB) and high (2.3 dB) frequencies. In addition, patients with moderate…
