Screening of auditory acuity in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Netra A Pathak, Vidya V Rokade, Kiran J Shinde

Indian Journal of Otology 2017 23(2):67-70

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a multifunctional metabolic disorder affecting almost all the systems of the body. There is a strong relation between DM and hearing. The three main theories of pathogenesis of hearing impairment in patients with diabetes are microangiopathy, neuropathy, and combination of both. Even though studies have proved the occurrence of sensorineural hearing loss in DM, disagreement still exists among some about their relation. Material and Methods: This study was a prospective design. Aim: The present study aimed (1) to focus on and evaluate the interrelation between Type 2 DM and hearing loss; (2) to screen the degree of auditory acuity in patients with Type 2 DM using pure tone audiometry; and (3) to analyze the effect of age, glycemic status (fasting blood sugar and postprandial blood sugar), glycemic control (glycosylated hemoglobin), and duration of Type 2 diabetes on auditory acuity. Results: In the present study, it was found that the patients with Type 2 diabetes had a higher hearing threshold than the healthy controls. The patients with diabetes showed significant high-frequency, bilateral, mild-to-moderate SNHL. Conclusion: The glycemic status had significant correlation with hearing loss may be explained by diabetic microangiopathy of the inner ear, and the hearing was affected in both sexes equally.

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