Prevalence of sensorineural hearing loss among the patients with Diabetes Mellitus

Abstract

Hearing loss is a very common problem worldwide affecting all age groups & leading to marked disability and handicap. Among the causes such as multiple sclerosis, syphilis and autoimmune disorders, Diabetes is the most common of all. Thus, the present study was conducted to evaluate the relation and degree of sensorineural hearing loss with Diabetes Mellitus along with its severity. For the study, a total of 300 patients were enrolled with complaints of hearing loss and or tinnitus. A complete ENT evaluation was done on the patients. Mean age of the patients was 49.54 ±8.9. About 80.7% patients complained of hearing loss while tinnitus was present in 58.3% of diabetes patients. The association between age and hearing loss was statistically significant with older patients (p<0.001) as compared to younger ones. Association between type of diabetes and sensorineural hearing loss was also statistically significant. The diabetic subjects had higher hearing threshold with bilateral mild to moderate degree sensorineural hearing loss. Age of diabetic patient and duration of diabetes, type of diabetes and levels of HBA1c had significant correlation with hearing loss.