[Hearing loss in patients with diabetes mellitus type II]

Hearing threshold of 40 patients with diabetes mellitus type 2 and 20 healthy controls were determined using pure tone audiometry of frequencies 500, 1000, 2000, 4000, 6000 and 8000 Hz and evoked otoacoustic emissions (EOAEs). The hypoacusis was bilateral, progressive and neurosensory nature, affecting the higher frequencies. Subjects with diabetes type 2 were more likely to have a hearing loss than were subjects without diabetes (95% vs 65%). This difference was statistically significant. Hearing loss was significantly correlated with age and duration of diabetes. Evoked otoacoustic emissions found out only in 2 patients with normal hearing. The results suggest that EOAEs doesn't show subclinical cochlear damage in diabetic patients because of the significant hearing loss.