Diabetes mellitus-related hearing loss prevalence and association between hyperglycemia and hearing loss in adults participating in the Canadian Longitudinal Study of Aging

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is currently one of the world’s most significant public health threats, with its prevalence seeing an alarming rise globally. DM and hyperglycemia is associated to the development of microvascular damages, increasing the dysfunction and death risks of many end-organs such as the eyes, peripheral nerves, and kidneys. Many animal and human histopathologic studies support that the auditory system is also vulnerable to the deleterious effects of hyperglycemia and DM. However, this association is debatable when investigated in human livings. This study aims to use the comprehensive Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA) cohort dataset to: (1) determine the prevalence of hearing loss in the Canadian diabetic population which currently unknown, and (2) determine the association between hyperglycemia and hearing loss.