ASSESMENT OF AUDITORY FUNCTION USING PURE TONE AUDIOMETRY IN PATIENTS WITH TYPE II DIABETES MELLITUS
Author: V. PRABHA, V. SHANKARAPPA, KUMAR SAI SAILESH, VASUKI, M.G.BASAVARAJAIAH
Category: Physiology
Abstract:
Background & objective: The rate of diabetes has substantially increased over the past five decades. Hyperglycemia appears to have an effect on hearing loss. Hearing loss is a functional disability which affects person's day to day activities. The objective of the study was to evaluate auditory effects using pure tone audiometer in type II diabetic patients.
Materials & methods: Forty three type II diabetes mellitus patients in the age group of 35 to 55 years were included in this study. They were subjected to pure tone audiometry after assessing their glycemic status.
Results: The auditory thresholds in diabetic patients were higher in all the frequencies suggestive of sensorineural hearing loss. HbA1C (6.74 ± 0.77) % strongly correlates with pure tone audiometry thresholds (46.53 ± 12.96) dB (r = 0.65, p = 0.001) which was highly significant. The duration of diabetes has no correlation with the PTA thresholds.
Conclusion: The audiograms of the diabetics were suggestive of mild to moderate sensorineural deafness and the hearing loss was more towards the higher frequencies. The glycemic status and duration of diabetes have no significant correlation with hearing loss
Keywords: Audiometry, Hearing loss, Type II Diabetes Mellitus
