Pure tone audiometry and otoacoustic emissions for the assessment of hearing loss in diabetic patients

Abstract

Context: Evaluation of hearing loss with diabetic control. Aims: The aim of this study was to profile the audiologic findings of diabetic patients by assessing the degree of hearing loss and the presence/absence of otoacoustic emissions (OAEs); to correlate the factors, namely, age, gender, glycemic status, and duration of diabetes mellitus with hearing loss. Settings and Design: The study was done at a tertiary care hospital and a cross-sectional study design was employed. Materials and Methods: Forty known diabetic patients who satisfied the selection criteria and consented were included in the study. Three tests were carried out, namely, pure tone audiometry, immittance audiometry, and OAEs. Statistical Analysis Used: Statistical analysis was performed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 11.5. For the current study, median, interquartile range (IQR), frequency, and percentage were considered. Results: Majority of the patients had bilateral sensorineural hearing loss ranging in severity from minimal to mild degree. Median pure tone average (PTA) values were less in patients with good glycemic status as compared to those with poor glycemic status. OAEs were absent in 30% of the subjects. Age had a contributing effect on raising the hearing threshold but gender and duration of diabetes did not show such an effect. Conclusion: Diabetic patients are at an increased risk of developing sensorineural hearing loss.