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High Blood Glucose and Hearing Loss
In an ongoing Department of Veterans Affairs study of nearly 700 former members of the armed forces, researchers recently found that those with type 2 diabetes experienced age-related declines in hearing earlier than nondiabetics did.
High blood sugar may prompt tiny blood vessels in the inner ear to narrow, disrupting the normal reception of sound, says lead researcher Nancy Vaughan, of the Department of Veterans Affairs' National Center for Rehabilitative Auditory Research in Portland, OR. Those with type 2 diabetes should be sure to wear hearing protection in noisy situations, such as attendance at rock concerts or use of power tools.
Researching Sudden Deafness
A University of Michigan (U of M) team is researching sudden deafness to determine which patients respond best to steroids, a common treatment.
The university research focuses on an immune system process associated with rapid-onset hearing loss. It involves a protein found in the inner ear's organ of Corti that is needed for normal function. People with sudden hearing loss develop antibodies to the protein.
U of M is working with Immco Diagnostics, a Buffalo, NY, firm, to develop a more accurate test than one commonly administered in emergency departments before patients receive steroids. Sorting out who benefits from steroids is important because the drugs can cause ulcers, water retention, muscle deterioration and liver damage, says Thomas Carey.
Carey is senior author of a study about the research in the August issue of Archives of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. The test is not available anywhere and is several years away from commercial use.
Sound Research Projects
A not-for-profit corporation supporting research projects related to the impact of sound on the body has opened in Rockaway, NJ. "Sound Is the Source" was introduced in October at the Grand Opening Celebration of The Davis Center, which has donated office space.
Sound Is the Source will be funded by individual donations and has applied for grants. Projects may include documenting the impact of sound-based therapies and general sound interventions as well as the changes that occur from specific frequencies, auditory and neurological processing, brain stimulation, tonal patterns, the voice-ear-brain connection and more. Project outcomes are to be published in professional journals.
Sound Is the Source will support the evidence-based research for determining the efficacy of sound therapies and sound's overall impact on the body. For more information or to donate, contact donations@SoundIsTheSource.org.
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