The risk factors of hearing loss in diabetes mellitus

Background: Hearing loss is considered as one of the complications in diabetic patients. However, studies reported conflicting results on the relationship between diabetes and hearing loss. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate and compare the prevalence of hearing loss in patients with diabetes mellitus and a group of non-diabetic people. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted on 80 patients with diabetes and 80 non-diabetic subjects. Subjects in the case group were selected among the diabetic patients registered in the diabetes centers of Isfahan province. Subjects in the control group were selected among non-diabetic individuals referring to the blood bank to donate blood. The instrument used for data collection included of questions on the subjects demographics and a special form for recording the results of the subjects' laboratory examinations including HbA1c, TSH, Cr and the result of the audiometric examinations. Data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics, chi-square test and t-test or nonparametric equivalents. Results: Compared with non-diabetic subjects, hearing loss in sounds with high frequencies was more common in patients with diabetes (P value = 0.001), the mean creatinine was significantly different in diabetic patients with and without hearing loss at noise frequencies of 4 KHz and 8 KHz (P value<0.05). However, hemoglobin A1C, duration of diabetes and BMI were not significantly associated with hearing loss. Conclusion: Hearing impairment in high frequency sounds is more common in diabetics than healthy individuals. The severity of hearing loss in patients with diabetes is also associated with the levels of creatinine.