Abstract
PurposeOur study aimed to determine the correlation between glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels and the audiometric parameters in diabetic patients.MethodsWe included 724 patients (376 male, 348 female) in our outpatient clinic and created four groups by reference to the HbA1c values. The first group was 192 patients with an HbA1c value < 4.5, 176 patients with an HbA1c value between 4.5 - 5 as Group 2, 177 patients with an HbA1c value between 5 - 6 as Group 3, and 179 patients that had an HbA1c value greater than 6 as Group 4. The correlations between HbA1c values and median pure tone thresholds at 250, 500, 1,000, 2,000, 4,000, and 8,000 Hz, the speech recognition thresholds, and the speech discrimination scores were compared.ResultsThe median speech recognition thresholds, speech discrimination scores, and the median pure-tone thresholds at 250, 500, 1,000, 2,000, 4,000, and 8,000 MHz in the left ear significantly differed in the fourth group (p < 0.001). Pure-tone thresholds at 500 Hz, 4,000 Hz, speech discrimination scores, and recognition thresholds in the right ear had a significant positive correlation in the fourth group (p < 0.001).ConclusionAccording to HbA1c levels, the severity of diabetes can affect high to all frequencies of hearing functions negatively. The follow-up of patients with higher levels of HbA1c should undergo audiological tests more regularly.
Highlights
Hearing is a vital part of daily life, and in case of loss, quality of life is significantly affected due to impaired communication and functional ability [1,2]
This study is a source for studies investigating the possible relationship of diabetes with sensorineural hearing loss and cochlear complications by pure sound audiometry and Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) value, age, and gender
We found that the pure audio audiological test results showed involvement in high frequency and in low frequencies when the HbA1c values increase in patients
Summary
Hearing is a vital part of daily life, and in case of loss, quality of life is significantly affected due to impaired communication and functional ability [1,2]. Hearing loss in the adult population can develop due to age, genetic factors, neurological diseases, causes of vascular origin, metabolic disorders, ototoxic drugs, noise, and diabetes. Diabetes is a chronic disease, and in the severe stage, it causes many organ disorders or deficiencies in patients. Cardiovascular and peripheral vascular diseases, neuropathy, nephropathy, retinopathy, and cerebrovascular disorders are among the long-term complications of diabetes [7]. Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) is formed by the non-enzymatic and slow glycolysis of hemoglobin in the blood; it is used for long-term glycemic control in diabetic patients and for diagnosis in non-diabetic patients. It is known that it may indicate the risk of complications in diabetes and reflect the quality of follow-up control of patients. HbA1c is below 6% in individuals without diabetes, it may exceed 10% in individuals who have uncontrolled diabetes [8]
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