Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 10, 2026
09:44
Neuro-rehabilitation Approach for Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss
Published on: January 25, 2016
[Study on the hearing impairment in diabetic patients]
1PLA General Hospital, Beijing.
Zhonghua Er Bi Yan Hou Ke Za Zhi
|January 1, 1990
Summary
Diabetic patients often experience hearing loss, specifically high-tone sensorineural deafness. This study confirms a higher incidence of hearing impairment in diabetics compared to non-diabetics.
Area of Science:
- Otorhinolaryngology
- Endocrinology
- Audiology
Background:
- Diabetes mellitus is a systemic disease with potential complications affecting various organs.
- Hearing impairment is an increasingly recognized complication of diabetes.
- Understanding the audiological profile in diabetics is crucial for early detection and management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the characteristics of hearing loss in patients with diabetes mellitus.
- To identify the site of auditory pathway lesions in diabetic individuals.
- To compare audiological findings in diabetics with a control group.
Main Methods:
- Békésy audiometry, impedance audiometry with stapedius reflex testing, speech discrimination tests, electrocochleography (ECoG), and brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BAEPs) were employed.
- Audiological tests were conducted on 43 patients with diabetes mellitus.
- Results were compared with those of 43 sex- and age-matched non-diabetic control subjects.
Main Results:
- Diabetic subjects showed significantly elevated average acoustic thresholds and auditory pathway (AP) reactive thresholds compared to controls.
- A significant decrease in mean PBmax% (maximum percentage of correctly identified words at optimal presentation level) was observed in the diabetic group.
- The incidence of hearing impairment was substantially higher in diabetics (48%) than in controls (10%).
Conclusions:
- Diabetic hearing impairment is characterized by bilaterally symmetrical high-tone sensorineural deafness.
- Audiological evaluations are essential for identifying and characterizing hearing loss in diabetic patients.
- Diabetes mellitus significantly impacts auditory function, affecting both peripheral and central auditory pathways.
Related Concept Videos
01:22Diabetes Mellitus: Type 2 and Gestational
Type 2 diabetes, characterized by insulin resistance, arises when the insulin receptors on cells lose responsiveness to insulin, diminishing the cell's capacity to take up glucose, resulting in elevated blood glucose levels. To receive a diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes, a series of blood glucose tests are necessary to assess whether the blood glucose falls within normal parameters. If the result is out of the normal range, a patient may be diagnosed as prediabetic or diabetic, depending on the...
01:15Diabetes: Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Complications
For most patients, experiencing several weeks of polyuria, polydipsia, fatigue, and significant weight loss may indicate the presence of diabetes. Furthermore, adults displaying the phenotypic appearance of type 2 diabetes (particularly those who are obese and not initially insulin-requiring), may have islet cell autoantibodies, suggesting autoimmune-mediated β cell destruction and a diagnosis of latent autoimmune diabetes of adults (LADA). The categorization of glucose homeostasis is based on...
01:25Type II Diabetes Mellitus III: Clinical Manifestations and Diagnosis
Type 2 diabetes mellitus develops gradually and is often asymptomatic in early stages.Clinical ManifestationsWhen symptoms appear, they include fatigue, blurred vision, pruritus, delayed wound healing, and recurrent infections, particularly candidal infections. Peripheral neuropathy may present as numbness or tingling in the extremities. Classic hyperglycemia symptoms—polyuria, polydipsia, and polyphagia—are less common. Most patients are overweight and frequently have associated hypertension...
01:27Diabetic Retinopathy
DefinitionDiabetic retinopathy is a microvascular complication of diabetes affecting the retinal blood vessels.Risk FactorsDiabetic retinopathy is present in almost all individuals with type 1 diabetes and more than 60% of those with type 2 diabetes after two decades of disease.The risk increases with poor glycemic control, hypertension, dyslipidemia, smoking, pregnancy, and puberty.Although cataracts and glaucoma are also more frequent in people with diabetes, retinopathy remains the leading...
01:28Diabetic Nephropathy
Definition Diabetic nephropathy is a chronic kidney complication that results from prolonged hyperglycemia.Prevalence It is the most common cause of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end-stage renal disease (ESRD) worldwide, affecting up to half of individuals with diabetes.Pathophysiology • Sustained hyperglycemia triggers multiple hemodynamic and metabolic changes in the kidney. • Early in the disease, increased renal blood flow and glomerular hyperfiltration occur due to afferent arteriolar...
01:22Diabetic Neuropathy
DefinitionDiabetic neuropathy is nerve damage caused by long-standing diabetes mellitus. It results directly from prolonged high blood sugar levels.PathophysiologyThe pathophysiology of diabetic neuropathy involves both metabolic and vascular disturbances triggered by chronic hyperglycemia.Metabolic injury: Elevated glucose levels activate the polyol pathway within nerve cells, leading to the accumulation of sorbitol and fructose. This increases oxidative stress, disrupts normal nerve...