To Study the Effect of Type II Diabetes Mellitus and Its Duration on Hearing

Abstract

Objective: This study has been undertaken to study the effect of type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and its duration on hearing. Materials and methods:The present study was conducted on 100 persons of age group 20 to 45 years. All subjects included in the study were divided into two groups. Group I: 50 patients suffering from T2DM (fasting blood sugar ≥ 126 mg/dL and postprandial ≥ 200 mg/dL) of either sex, in the age group of 20 to 45 years. Group II: 50 healthy volunteers in the age group of 20 to 45 years, of either sex were included in control group. Hearing assessment was done by using pure tone audiometry (PTA). Results:In diabetic patients, the mean threshold in the PTA was higher at all frequencies as compared with healthy controls, and there was a positive correlation between the duration of diabetes and hearing loss. Conclusion:Various audiological investigations have revealed that there is a strong association of diabetes with sensorineural part. The prevalence of sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) in type II diabetics observed was 64%. In the majority of the patients, the hearing loss was bilateral, affecting mid and higher frequencies from 2 to 8 kHz. Hence, to conclude, we can say that the high prevalence of hearing loss in T2DM supports the importance of audiometric evaluation in such patients.