As the United States marks American Diabetes Month this November, new research has revealed a serious but often overlooked complication of type 2 diabetes—hearing loss.
A comprehensive study published in the journal Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery shows that people living with type 2 diabetes are significantly more likely to experience hearing problems compared to those without the condition.
The systematic review and meta-analysis, which appeared in the November 2025 issue, analyzed data from 17 studies involving nearly 8,000 people. Of these, 3,910 had type 2 diabetes and 4,084 did not.
The findings were striking: hearing loss affected between 40.6% and 71.9% of patients with diabetes. Overall, people with type 2 diabetes were found to be more than four times as likely to have hearing loss as those without it.
The study was led by Dr. Miguel Caballero-Borrego and Dr. Ivan Andujar-Lara from Hospital Clínic and Universitat de Barcelona in Spain. They found that the hearing loss in diabetic patients was especially noticeable at higher sound frequencies.
On average, people with diabetes had hearing thresholds that were 3.19 decibels higher than those in the control group—meaning their hearing was measurably worse.
The research also revealed how the length of time someone has lived with diabetes affects their risk. People who had diabetes for more than 10 years were twice as likely to have hearing loss compared to those with a shorter history of the disease.
Moreover, patients with more severe hearing loss tended to have poorer blood sugar control, as reflected by higher HbA1c levels. In other words, the higher and more prolonged the blood sugar, the greater the risk of hearing damage.
Interestingly, gender did not appear to make a difference—men and women with diabetes were equally at risk of hearing problems.
According to the authors, the likely explanation lies in how diabetes damages small blood vessels throughout the body, including those in the inner ear.
Over time, high blood sugar levels can harm the delicate microcirculation of the cochlea—the part of the ear responsible for hearing—by thickening its tiny capillary walls and damaging key structures like the basilar membrane and the stria vascularis. These changes reduce blood flow and oxygen supply, leading to gradual, irreversible hearing loss.
With diabetes affecting more than 37 million Americans—and numbers continuing to rise—these findings highlight the need for broader screening in diabetes care.
Hearing loss often develops slowly and may go unnoticed for years, yet it can have a major impact on quality of life, communication, and even mental health. The researchers emphasize that regular hearing tests should be part of routine diabetes management, just like eye and kidney checkups.
This study also raises an intriguing point: hearing loss could serve as an early warning sign of microvascular disease in people with diabetes. Detecting hearing problems sooner might allow doctors to intervene earlier and prevent further complications such as neuropathy, retinopathy, and kidney disease, which also result from microvascular damage.
American Diabetes Month, observed every November, seeks to increase awareness of diabetes and its far-reaching effects. This new research reminds patients and healthcare providers alike that diabetes is not just about blood sugar—it can quietly affect many parts of the body, including the ears.
By adding hearing health to regular diabetes screenings, doctors can take one more step toward protecting the long-term health and quality of life of those living with type 2 diabetes.
If you care about diabetes, please read studies about the cooking connection between potatoes and diabetes, and low calorie diets may help reverse type 2 diabetes.
For more health information, please see recent studies about protein power: a new ally in diabetes management, and pineapple and diabetes: A sweet surprise.
Copyright © 2025 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
