Abstract

A STUDY ON HEARING LOSS IN TYPE II DIABETICS

Diabetes-related sensorineural hearing impairment affects people’s ability to hear and understand sounds. We carried out this case control study with the purpose of determining the hearing loss in type II diabetes mellitus in relation to the age and gender of the patients and duration of the illness using tuning fork tests and pure tone audiometry. Aim: To study the hearing loss in type II diabetics and controls. Objectives:1. To study the hearing loss in relation to different age groups in diabetics and controls. 2. To study the hearing loss in relation to gender in diabetics and controls. 3. To study the hearing loss in relation to duration of diabetes. Material and Methods: 200 diabetic patients and 200 age and sex matched controls took part in the study. They were evaluated by Tuning fork tests and Pure Tone Audiometry. Results: The hearing of diabetics was significantly impaired than the non-diabetic control group. This hearing impairment was noted in all the frequencies tested. The hearing acuity was not influenced by the duration of diabetes, age or sex of the subjects. Discussion: The possible mechanisms underlying the hearing loss in diabetic individuals are microangiopathy, demyelination, hyperglycemia, etc. Conclusion: Type 2 diabetes causes significant hearing loss in the patients, but it is not affected by the age and sex of the patient or duration of the illness.

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