You At Your Best

sPeCIAl to you At your best There's no question that diabetes increases a person's risk for serious health problems. It's important to learn about the potential complications of diabetes and how to recognize the warning signs. Skin complications The American Diabetes Association® says skin problems are sometimes the first indicators that a person has diabetes. These include bacterial infections such as styes, boils, infections around the nails, and carbuncles, which are deep infections of the skin and the tissue underneath it. Localized itching caused by a yeast infection, dry skin or poor circulation is another example of a skin condition that is often caused by diabetes. Eye complications Changes in vision are sometimes the earliest warning signs of the presence of diabetes or prediabetes. Diabetic eye disease may include retinopathy, macular edema, cataracts and glaucoma. People with diabetes are 40 percent more likely to suffer from glaucoma than people without diabetes, according to the ADA. Cataracts are not exclusive to diabetes, though people with diabetes are 60 percent more likely to develop the condition. Routine eye examinations can alert doctors to the presence of diabetes before patients know they have it. Neuropathy Nerve damage resulting from diabetes is referred to as diabetic neuropathy. The ADA notes that roughly 50 percent of people with diabetes have some sort of nerve damage, though it is most common in people who have had diabetes for a number of years. Peripheral neuropathy can cause tingling, numbness, pain, or weakness in the feet and hands. Autonomic neuropathy affects the nerves that control the bladder, intestinal tract, genitals, and other organs. Complications from diabetes can often be prevented or delayed. Visit www.diabetes.org to learn more. Potential complications of diabetes Diabetes can cause blurry vision, hunger, thirst and fatigue; 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 often-overlooked 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 www.wolfpackhearing.com. Diabetes diagnosis connected to hearing loss sPoNsor CoNteNt marla richards, m.s., r.D., l.D. suNDAy, oCtober 25, 2020 | November - beAtINg tHe betes NWADg.Com/youAtyourbest | you At your best | 5 Ad Number: 102520e4801 Our patients succeed. You will, too! 479.957.9300 Wolfpackhearing.com Located in East Fayetteville | 2630 E Citizens Dr. #7 Best of Northwest Arkansas the

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