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Hearing impairment in type 2 diabetics and patients with early diabetic nephropathy
Jianmin Ren1, Fufu Ma1, Yujing Zhou1
1Department of Endocrinology, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, China; Institute of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Shandong University, Jinan, China; Key Laboratory of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Shandong Province in Medicine & Health, Jinan, China.
Aims:
The study was to investigate the hearing function in subjects with non-diabetic nephropathy and diabetic nephropathy and analyze related clinical indexes of hearing impairment.
Methods:
We assessed the hearing function of 30 diabetics (DM group), 30 patients with early diabetic nephropathy (DN group) and 30 healthy subjects (NC group) using pure-tone audiometry, otoacoustic emissions, electronystagmography, caloric test and cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potential (VEMP).
Results:
Pure-tone audiogram demonstrated a deficit at frequencies with elevated threshold in both DM and DN group (p < 0.05). DN group showed a significant deficit with elevated threshold at 250, 8000 Hz in left ear and 8000 Hz in right ear compared to those of DM group (p < 0.05). GHbA1c, waist and ACR were correlated with elevated thresholds. The DPOAE amplitudes of DN group were obviously smaller in the left ear (4 kHz) and right ear (0.75, 2, 4 kHz) while those of DM group were significantly smaller in the right ear (0.75, 4 kHz) than controls (p < 0.05). A larger proportion of subjects with vestibular dysfunction and VEMP response absence were observed in DN group.
Conclusions:
Type 2 DM and DN patients have shown clinical hearing impairment and vestibular dysfunction. GHbA1c, waist, ACR, BMI, TC and diabetic retinopathy may affect hearing and vestibular function.
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