Hearing loss is the condition most frequently overlooked as a complication of diabetes. People with diabetes are nearly twice as likely to suffer from hearing loss. Raja S, Founder, Hearzap explores the need for advanced hearing solutions for diabetic-induced hearing loss
The attention of caregivers is not called to this often-overlooked complication, perhaps because the association between the two is less prominently discussed than other complications caused by diabetes.
The connection between diabetes and hearing loss: What's behind the link?
Though the biological mechanism to explain diabetic-induced hearing loss is still under research, damage to the inner ear's vessels and nerves due to high sugar levels is considered to be the probable cause. This can eventually lead to impairments in hearing as well as the processing of sound and can greatly affect the lifestyle and everyday communication of the patient.
Unfortunately, most patients don't know they have an impairment until it is quite significant. Routine testing for hearing impairment is rarely part of diabetic care. Therefore, the onus is laid on healthcare providers to educate the patient and suggest routine hearing assessments.
Why traditional hearing aids are not enough?
Traditional hearing aids may be helpful to diabetic patients for a little while, but they cannot cover the specific needs of diabetic-induced hearing loss.
Some of these limitations are as follows:
Sensitivity Problems: There is a chance of diabetic patients getting heightened sensitivities in the skin which can cause them to get an infection in the ear due to the sensitivities. Such infections would therefore make the daily use of hearing aids uncomfortable or unsafe.
Speech Understanding Difficulties: The traditional hearing aids amplify everything, including ambient noise; this makes it hard for people with nerve loss that decreases clarity.
Care Requirements: Hearing aids need regular maintenance, needing routine care, fine-tuning, and battery changes. For diabetic patients with numerous health conditions, this may not be feasible to maintain. With these limitations in mind, it becomes much more important to consider advanced hearing solutions that also take into account the broader health context and specific challenges these diabetic patients are facing.
Advanced hearing solutions: Broadening the scope of care
Alternative solutions that provide much better, comfortable and more flexible support than conventional hearing aids are promising for diabetic patients suffering from hearing loss.
Some of these more advanced hearing technologies should be considered with a patient by health care providers in mind.
Cochlear Implants: Cochlear implants bypass the broken part of the ear and send electrical signals directly to the nerve, which is much better for patients with severe hearing loss. For diabetic patients suffering nerve-related hearing loss, cochlear implants often represent a better option that provides clearer sound and more often proves more effective than conventional hearing aids. Although cochlear implants are a more complex solution, they do offer a significant quality in the sound delivered, mostly to people with profound or complicated hearing loss.
BAHS: BAHS works on bone conduction and bypasses middle and outer ear conduction. It is especially useful for those who have chances of infection in diabetic ears or due to diabetes foot disease since the device conducts sound into the inner ear through the bone rather than air. It is also perceived as more naturally listening-friendly and often improves speech intelligibility. This system often comes in especially useful for people suffering from recurrent ear infections or other structural problems with the ear.
Assistive Listening Devices: ALDs, especially FM and infrared systems, introduce the crux element of sound directly into a patient's ear by generating a focused listening space. They can be used with or instead of hearing aids where the situation calls for a quiet space, such as in noisy environments. The ALDs prove especially useful to patients requiring support in certain settings, such as work meetings or crowded spaces, and are therefore a valuable option that healthcare providers should not overlook when making decisions about diabetic patients requiring special assistance.
AI-powered hearing technology: It is a development of hearing devices through AI. These devices learn the environment of the listener, filtering some background noises and making real-time changes. This reduces the burden on patients from managing multiple health conditions and makes them user-friendly, requiring less manual fine-tuning than a traditional hearing aid.
Healthcare providers can recommend AI-powered options to support diabetic patients who take an active lifestyle with adaptable solutions.
Role of healthcare providers
As medical technology advances, healthcare providers are called upon to support diabetic patients in their options to take the most suitable course of action. There are many practical steps that can contribute to more comprehensive support for the maintenance of hearing health in diabetic patients.
● Incorporate Hearing Assessments: With early detection and timely intervention, hearing problems can be identified through the inclusion of routine screening for diabetes patients.
● Educate Patients About Hearing Loss: Most diabetic patients are unaware of the link between diabetes and potential hearing loss. Educating diabetic patients about this association may encourage them to be regularly monitored and to adopt preventive measures.
● Collaboration with Audiologists: For patients who lose their hearing or have a loss following diabetes, healthcare providers and audiologists must work together so that a customised care plan can be created for the overall health and auditory needs of the patient.
A future of inclusive, holistic hearing care
As healthcare providers, we must commit ourselves to comprehensive care that encompasses the complexity of the disease of diabetes and the limitations of conventional solutions while working to address diabetic-induced hearing loss.
Advanced hearing technology will enable significant improvement in the lives of diabetic patients with hearing loss. The awareness and adoption of these solutions will contribute to a future where it would be possible for a hearing solution to become one integrated part of diabetic management to make patients healthier and enhance their quality of life.