TUESDAY, June 17 (HealthDay News) -- A link appears to exist between a herpes virus and an atypical form of type 2 diabetes in persons from sub-Saharan Africa, according to a new study.

Researchers in France, writing in the June 18 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association , noted a possible tie between the presence of antibodies for the virus human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) and ketosis-prone type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM-2). Ketosis occurs when ketone bodies, byproducts of fat metabolism, build up in body tissues and fluids.

DM-2 has emerged as a common form of diabetes in African populations since 1987, and from 30 percent to 60 percent of adults in sub-Saharan Africa have markers of HHV-8 infection.

The study, which looked at 187 black African diabetics patients, found HHV-8 antibodies in nearly 88 percent of those in the group with ketosis-prone DM-2, while they were found in only 15 percent of those with non-ketotic DM-2 and 40 percent of the control participants.

"Our preliminary study shows a strong link between ketosis-prone DM-2 phenotype and markers of HHV-8 infection," the authors wrote. "Patients with ketosis-prone DM-2 have a very high prevalence of HHV-8 infection, whereas patients with non-ketotic DM-2 have a much lower prevalence of HHV-8 infection when compared with the background population."

The authors called for more studies to try to replicate the results in other populations and longitudinal studies to understand the significance of the findings.

More information

The American Diabetes Association has more about diabetes  .

MONDAY, June 16 (HealthDay News) -- Hearing impairment may be a common, under-recognized complication of diabetes, suggests a U.S. study.

"We found that hearing loss was much more common in people with diabetes than people without the disease. The hearing loss we detected did not seem to be caused by other factors such as exposure to loud noises, certain medicines, and smoking," lead researcher Kathleen E. Bainbridge said in a prepared statement.

She and her colleagues analyzed data from 5,140 people, ages 20 to 69, who completed a hearing test and a diabetes questionnaire as part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 1999 to 2004.

The age-adjusted prevalence of low- or mid-frequency hearing impairment of mild or greater severity in the ear with the worst hearing was 21.3 percent among the 399 adults with diabetes compared to 9.4 percent among the 4,741 adults without diabetes.

The age-adjusted prevalence of high-frequency hearing impairment of mild or greater severity in the ear with the worst hearing was 54.1 percent among adults with diabetes and 32 percent among those without diabetes.

Diabetes can damage small blood vessels and nerves in the body.

"It is possible that high blood sugar levels damage the small blood vessels and nerves of the inner ear, resulting in hearing impairment. People with diabetes might benefit from having their hearing checked," Bainbridge said.

The study was published on the Web site of the journal Annals of Internal Medicine.

The editors of the journal noted that diabetes was self-reported by the people in this study and was verified in only a small percentage of participants. In addition, the researchers didn't distinguish between type 1 and type 2 diabetes, and participants self-reported their history of noise exposure.

More information

The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association has more about hearing loss  .

(HealthDay News) -- Hypoglycemia, the medical term for low blood sugar, is a common complication among people with diabetes.

The American Diabetes Association offers this list of warning signs and treatments for hypoglycemia:

• Symptoms may include dizziness, shakiness, sweating, headache, hunger, pale skin, sudden mood change, tingling around the mouth, and confusion.
• Treat hypoglycemia as soon as you notice symptoms. The condition can quickly become an emergency without treatment, if blood sugar drops dangerously low.
• Eat some sort of sugar, such as a few pieces of hard candy, 1/2 cup of fruit juice, or glucose tablets.
• Have a glucagon (a medication that quickly raises blood sugar) syringe on hand. In the event that you pass out, make sure friends and family know how to immediately use the shot. This is a medical emergency, and in addition to getting the shot, you should receive emergency care.