The Inner Ear in Diabetes Mellitus

Kovar, Mary Grace

doi:10.1159/000275086

Cited by 57 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…Although we agree with other authors' claims that ear disturbances can be due to metabolic disorders, especially those related with carbohydrate metabolism [3,4], we do not consider hearing loss as a common feature of insulintreated patients. However, we found a series of papers in the literature reporting a significant correlation between diabetes and hearing loss [5], some of them even consid ering certain audiometric configurations as predictors of diabetes [6].…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 85%

Hearing and Diabetes

España

Biurrun²,

Lorente³

et al. 1995

ORL

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The results of the audiological evaluation of 47 diabetics are presented. The patients were divided into two groups: A (17/47), type I early diabetics, and B (30/47), type I chronic diabetics. The evaluation included puretone audiometry, high-frequency audiometry and auditory brainstem response. There was a control group consisting of 30 healthy subjects. In group 1 the audiological assessment was normal in all cases. In group 2 hearing loss was found in 30% of cases (9/30). Hearing loss was significantly correlated with age (p = 0.0019) and duration of diabetes (p = 0.0143), but not with diabetic microangiopathy (p = 0.1506). The authors conclude that hearing loss is not a usual feature in diabetic patients. When present, hearing loss should be attributed to the effect of diabetes on the age-related physiological impairment of the inner ear. The pathogenic mechanisms remain obscure.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 85%

Hearing and Diabetes

España

Biurrun²,

Lorente³

et al. 1995

ORL

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“…Although histopathological changes such as thickening of the vessel wall in the stria vascularis and spiral ligament [1,4], hair cell loss in the organ of Corti, and spiral ganglion atrophy [3] have been reported in the inner ear of human subjects, it is not always clear whether these changes are primarily due to diabetes. There are too many complicating factors to resolve this problem [6,7].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hearing impairment in WBN/Kob rats with spontaneous diabetes mellitus

1995

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SummaryThe inner ear of spontaneously diabetic WBN/Kob rats was functionally and morphologically examined in order to elucidate the relationship between diabetes mellitus and hearing impairment. At 3 months of age, WBN/Kob rats were non-diabetic, and their hearing function was normal. At 6-7 months of age, they showed decreased glucose tolerance and an increasing tendency toward urinary excretion of glucose without high plasma concentration of glucose, and were therefore judged to be pre-diabetic. They also displayed a significant elevation of hearing threshold in the auditory brainstem response, but showed little morphological and histochemical changes in the inner ear. At 12-13 months of age, they were spontaneously diabetic and showed a more apparent elevation of hearing threshold in auditory brainstem response than that in pre-diabetic animals. In addition, they displayed a marked decrease in the number of spiral ganglion cells and oedematous changes in the stria vascularis. The stria vascularis also showed a decrease in the intensity of staining with some lectins, i.e., wheat germ agglutinin, succinylated wheat germ agglutinin, Soranum tuberosum lectin, and concanavalin A. In conclusion, hearing impairment is induced by diabetes in the WBN/ Kob rats first as an elevation of hearing threshold along with glucose intolerance; secondly, as a decrease in the number of spiral ganglion cells; and thirdly, as oedematous change of the stria vascularis with decreased intensity of lectin staining. [Diabetologia (1995) tional and morphological examinations simultaneously on human subjects. However, we studied WBN/Kob rats which are derived from Wistar rats [14] and develop diabetes spontaneously due to endocrine-exocrine pancreatic insufficiency [15][16][17][18][19]. They begin to excrete odorous urine abundantly at the age of about 9 months, and thereafter show hyperglycaemia and marked intolerance to glucose. Since they can survive for a long time after the onset of diabetes without insulin treatment, they are a pertinent animal model for analysis of various aspects of diabetes [20,21]. In the present study, therefore, male WBN/Kob rats with spontaneous diabetes underwent functional, morphological, and histochemical examinations to determine the effects of diabetes on auditory function.

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“…Diabetes mellitus is a frequently mentioned cause of hearing impairment [1][2][3][4][5]. However, despite the close association between hearing and balance, vestibular changes secondary to diabetes mellitus have promoted fewer investigations which have yielded inconclusive re sults.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Asymptomatic Electronystagmographic Abnormalities in Patients with Type I Diabetes mellitus

Biurrun

Ferrer²,

Lorente³

et al. 1991

ORL

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Only a few studies have investigated vestibular function in diabetes mellitus (DM), showing contradictory results. We have performed an electronystagmographic (ENG) evaluation of 46 individuals with type I DM and 37 healthy controls. No patient reported subjective vestibular symptoms. Duration of caloric-induced nystagmus (DN) was significantly lower (2.1 ± 0.7 vs. 2.6 ± 0.4 min, p < 0.01), and central nystagmus frequency of caloric response also nonsignificantly tended to be decreased (37.4 ± 16.5 vs. 41.7 ± 12.7 beats/30 s, p = 0.21) in DM patients, as compared to controls. The latter comparison achieved significance after exclusion of newly diagnosed diabetic patients (33.4 ± 16.1 vs. 41.6 ± 12.7 beats/s, p < 0.05). Depressed caloric reactions were seen in 21.8% of patients. DN was lower in patients with microalbuminuria and retinopathy, but this was not observed after exclusion of newly diagnosed diabetic patients, all of whom had normal ENG responses and no chronic diabetic complications. The existence of a lower DN and central nystagmus frequency should be borne in mind when interpreting ENG tracings in patients with long duration type I diabetes mellitus.

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The Inner Ear in Diabetes Mellitus

Abstract: The pathology in the inner ear and its capsule produced by long-lasting diabetes mellitus was studied in serial sections in 28 human temporal bones.

Cited by 57 publications

References 8 publications

Hearing and Diabetes

Hearing and Diabetes

Hearing impairment in WBN/Kob rats with spontaneous diabetes mellitus

Asymptomatic Electronystagmographic Abnormalities in Patients with Type I Diabetes mellitus

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