A new study conducted by the US researchers revealed that diabetics are more prone to hearing loss than other people.

The study researchers said that it may be a good idea for diabetes patients to have a hearing test on a regular basis.

An editorial published with the study agrees, noting that "in many cases of mild to moderate hearing loss, patients are not aware of what they cannot hear."

The researchers examined data available from 5,140 adults aged between 20 to 69, who were given hearing tests as part of a government health study from 1999 to 2004.

Around 8% of participants stated that they had ever been diagnosed with diabetes, not counting women who'd had gestational diabetes.

All of the partakers were given hearing tests. Hearing loss was more common among those participants having a self-reported diabetes history.

The study reported that high-frequency hearing impairment of mild or greater severity was detected in 54% of those with diabetes, as compared with 32% of those with no history of diabetes.

On the other hand, low- or mid-frequency hearing impairment of mild or greater severity was present in 21% people with diabetes and 9 percent of the 4,741 of those without diabetes.

The researchers said that a history of noise exposure didn’t clarify the outcomes. Neither did age (at least in people younger than 60) or other factors.

The researchers said that diabetes may cause hearing loss by damaging the nerves and blood vessels of the inner ear, but the study doesn't confirm that, note the researchers. They included Kathleen Bainbridge, PhD, MPH, of Social & Scientific Systems of Silver Spring, Md.

The study doesn't spell out which participants had type 1 diabetes or type 2 diabetes, but the majority probably had type 2 diabetes, note Bainbridge and colleagues.

Their findings appear in the July 1 edition of the Annals of Internal Medicine.