Type 2 Diabetes and Hearing Loss

Details

• Personal Author:
  Buss J ; Hong O ; Thomas E
• Description:
  Hearing loss is a common public health problem that affects work productivity, functional status, social interactions, personal safety and well-being, and quality of life. In particular, hearing loss is of concern among older adults due to age-related hearing loss and among the working population due to hearing loss associated with noise exposure on the job. In 2009, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that 34.5 million adults in the U.S. experienced "trouble hearing;" a 9% increase since 2000 when 31.5 million U.S. adults reported "trouble hearing." While aging and exposure to loud noise and other ototoxic substances are well-known risk factors for hearing loss, research conducted over the past several decades has brought attention to sensorineural hearing loss among individuals with other health problems such as diabetes. More than 8% of the population in the U.S. has diabetes mellitus and the incidence is increasing at unprecedented rates; it is expected that by 2050, one in three Americans will suffer from this disease. For those born in 2000, the estimated lifetime risk for developing diabetes is 32.8% for males and 38.5% for females, and the risk is even higher in certain minority groups. Since 1997, diabetes mellitus has been categorized as either type 1 or type 2. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune destruction of pancreatic B-cells and subsequent dependence upon insulin therapy. Type 2 diabetes is a disorder characterized by insulin resistance, pancreas B-cell function decline, impaired glucose tolerance, and hyperglycemia; sometimes the B-cell function destruction is enough to require insulin therapy. Risk factors for type 2 diabetes are complex and include genetic predisposition, lifestyle issues such as insufficient exercise, diet and smoking, as well as environmental components. Type 2 diabetes accounts for 90% of all cases of the disease, and traditionally it has been a disease of middle-aged or older people. However, since the 1990s, the age of onset has become apparent among younger adults, and even children. This trend is a serious threat to public health, as diabetes is associated with severe and potentially fatal complications and comorbidities, such as cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, visual impairment, neuropathies, and infectious complications. The person living with diabetes can experience symptoms from such comorbidities which may impact function, emotional well-being, and quality of life as well as morbidity from complications that may limit work productivity, increase absenteeism, and lead to premature loss of employment. Considering both hearing loss and diabetes mellitus are significant health issues, it is worthwhile to examine the relationship between the two. The purpose of this paper is to examine the evidence linking type 2 diabetes with hearing loss and possible causal mechanisms through an extensive review of the literature. In addition, the paper discusses the underlying mechanism responsible for hearing loss occurring with diabetes, specifically, microangiopathy, advanced glycation end products, and reactive oxygen species (oxidative stress). [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Aging Blood Hearing Loss Hearing Loss, Noise-Induced Hematologic Diseases Noise Noise, Occupational Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Aging Workforce Blood Sugar Disorders Hearing Loss Noise Exposure Occupational Hearing Loss Ototoxicity Oxidative Stress
• ISSN:
  0011-5029
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  California ; OSHA Region 9
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  139-146
• Volume:
  59
• Issue:
  4
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20055896
• Citation:
  Dis Mon 2013 Apr; 59(4):139-146
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2013
• Performing Organization:
  University of California Los Angeles
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Disease-A-Month
• End Date:
  20270630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:fee9820e2e8abaada03ef1827680bb1c95bcb9ad032cd8e2501217f77bf8902bd4021c01c989e379cde4e5104a906610b6c2f625b1759e641a5c5ec25cb54500
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/213651/cdc_213651_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 131.33 KB ]