Evaluation of hearing loss parameters in workers and its relationship with baseline blood glucose levels

Abstract

Abstract Introduction Hearing loss due to noise is considered within the prevention plans of the most common occupational diseases. In addition to evaluation of working conditions, other personal factors increasing the risk of hypoacusis, such as diabetes, should be taken into account. Objectives To explore hearing loss in the workplace and its relationship to impaired fasting baseline blood glucose levels. Methods An observational, cross-sectional study enrolling 1636 workers from service companies was conducted. Full audiometric evaluation was performed at different frequencies: high frequency (HF), early loss index (ELI), speech average loss (SAL), and monaural and binaural loss. Results were categorized by baseline blood glucose levels: G1 ( 125 mg/dl). Results Based on both HF and ELI, 11% of workers had clear indication of deafness. Women with G3 levels showed significant differences in the results of HF and ELI indexes as compared to the G1 group ( p = .038 and .046, respectively). A positive association was found between hearing loss and G3 blood glucose levels in HF (OR: .338; p = .002), ELI (OR: .407; p = .007), and the monaural test in the left ear (OR: 4.77 × 10 −5 ; p = .006). Conclusions Despite the methodological limitations of this study, there is evidence for an increased risk of high frequency hearing loss in workers with high baseline blood glucose levels.