Prevalence of Hearing Loss in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Its Association with Severity of Diabetic Neuropathy and Glycemic Control

Abstract

Objectives: This study assessed the prevalence of hearing loss (HL) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and its relationship with the presence and severity of diabetic neuropathy. Materials and methods: Patients between the ages of 30 and 60 years (both ages inclusive) with T2DM were recruited and divided into three groups. Group I included patients without neuropathy. Group II had patients with mild neuropathy. Group III had patients with moderate and severe neuropathy. After informed consent hearing threshold was assessed using pure tone audiometry (PTA). Results: Of the 200 patients recruited, the prevalence of HL was overall 81%. The prevalence was 66.7% in group I, 80.9% in group II, and 87.6% in group III (p = 0.009). Among patients with moderate to severe neuropathy (group III), 33.3% had clinically significant HL (CSHL) (p = 0.015). Age, gender, presence of neuropathy, and severity of neuropathy were associated with an increased risk of developing HL. Conclusion: Among patients with diabetes, age, nephropathy, and neuropathy were associated with HL. The severity of HL worsened with the worsening severity of neuropathy and increase in glycated hemoglobin (Hba1c) levels. Patients with moderate to severe neuropathy might benefit from screening for HL.