Diabetes diagnosis connected to hearing loss

Diabetes can cause blurry vision, hunger, thirst and fatigue; but a lesser-known associated condition is hearing loss. In fact, the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) found hearing loss to be about twice as common in adults with diabetes compared to those without the disease. The evidence suggests that diabetes may lead to hearing loss by damaging the nerves and blood vessels of the inner ear.

Prior to co-founding Wolfpack Hearing Clinic with her husband and audiologist, Dr. Dustin Richards, Marla Richards, MS, RD, LD worked in private practice as a Registered Dietician and is still licensed to do so. She has seen firsthand the oftenoverlooked link between diabetes and hearing loss.

“Like treatment of hearing loss, every one of my clients was an individual with unique needs and thus required unique strategies,” Marla says. “Diabetics were some of my favorite clients.”

“As a dietitian, my job involves positive lifestyle change and permanent quality of life improvement,” she says. “Diagnosis and treatment of hearing loss is very similar. We take a thorough and long-term approach to ensure that your hearing loss is properly diagnosed and treated, and no longer a detriment to your quality of life.”

The study linking hearing loss with diabetes is alarming to many otolaryngologists and audiologists because there is no recommendation for hearing loss screenings in a diabetes care regimen. See your doctor if you think you might be pre-diabetic or if you suffer from diabetes and believe you may have the beginning stages of hearing loss.

“The first step is a hearing test,” says Marla. “If you are one of the millions who live with diabetes, pre-diabetes, and/or hypertension, it is important to establish a baseline hearing evaluation with a licensed audiologist. We are happy to provide this service to you at Wolfpack Hearing Clinic.”

For more information, visit Wolfpack Hearing Clinic at 2630 E. Citizens Drive, #7 in Fayetteville, call (479) 957-9300 or go to