A major new meta-analysis showing that nearly one in four adults living with diabetes has clinically significant hearing loss has brought a call from researchers for hearing tests to become a standard part of diabetes care. The researchers, from University of Queensland, Australia say hearing loss must be recognised as a significant complication of diabetes....
Audiologists should be aware that diabetic patients represent a high-prevalence population; clinics serving patients with diabetes have reasonable grounds to advocate for routine hearing screening referrals, though formal screening guidelines have not yet been updated.
If confirmed by clinical guideline bodies, this meta-analysis could create a large new referral pipeline from endocrinology and primary care into audiology practices worldwide.
- 01Meta-analysis finds ~25% of adults with diabetes have clinically significant hearing loss.
- 02University of Queensland researchers led the analysis.
- 03Authors call for hearing screening to become standard in diabetes care alongside eye and foot checks.
- 04The finding reframes diabetes-related hearing loss as a systemic, 'hidden epidemic' rather than incidental comorbidity.
- 05No major clinical guideline body has yet mandated routine audiological screening for all diabetics.
Nearly 1 in 4 adults with diabetes has clinically significant hearing loss.
studysupportedHearing screening should be made a standard part of diabetes care.
opinionpartially supported- Publication type
- meta_analysis
- Evidence level
- 1a
- Population
- Adults with diabetes
- Intervention
- Presence of diabetes as exposure
- Comparator
- Adults without diabetes or general population norms
Primary outcomes
Prevalence of clinically significant hearing loss in adults with diabetes