Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-mlc7c Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-10T12:08:36.108Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Hearing thresholds in insulin-dependent diabetic patients

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 June 2007

Jukka Virtaniemi*
Affiliation:
Departments of Otolaryngology, University of Kuopio, Kuopio, Finland
Markku Laakso
Affiliation:
Departments of Medicine, University of Kuopio, Kuopio, Finland
Juhani Nuutinen
Affiliation:
Departments of Otolaryngology, University of Kuopio, Kuopio, Finland
Seppo Karjalainen
Affiliation:
Departments of Otolaryngology, University of Kuopio, Kuopio, Finland
Eero Vartiainen
Affiliation:
Departments of Otolaryngology, University of Kuopio, Kuopio, Finland
*
Jukka Virtaniemi, M.D., Department of Otolaryngology, Kuopio University Hospital, SF-70210Kuopio, Finland.

Abstract

Hearing thresholds were studied in 53 patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) and 42 randomly selected non-diabetic control subjects, aged between 20 and 40 years. The hearing level tended to be worse in diabetic patients than in control subjects, but the differences were statistically significant only at frequencies of 6000 and 8000 Hz. Microvascular complications (retinopathy and nephropathy), and the duration of diabetes were associated with the elevated hearing thresholds. In contrast, poor metabolic control (high fasting blood glucose and glycated haemoglobin Alc) was not associated with increased hearing thresholds. The changes caused by diabetic neuropathy appeared simultaneously with microvascular complications and a long duration of the diabetes, and thus a causative role of diabetic neuropathy in the pathogenesis of elevated hearing thresholds remained unsolved. It was concluded that elevated sensorineural hearing thresholds at the frequencies of 6000 and 8000 Hz in patients with IDDM are probably caused by the long duration of diabetes and the microvascular complications associated with it.

Type
Main Articles
Copyright
Copyright © JLO (1984) Limited 1994

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Arnst, D. J. (1985) Presbyacusis. In Handbook of Clinical Audiology. (Katz, J., Gabbay, W. L., Ungerleider, D. S., Wilde, L., eds.), Williams & Wilkins, Baltimore, USA, pp 707720.Google Scholar
Axelsson, A., Sigroth, K., Vertes, D. (1978) Hearing in diabetes. Ada Oto-Laryngologica 356 (suppl.): 323.Google Scholar
Buller, N., Shvili, Y., Laurian, N., Laurian, L., Zohar, Y. (1988) Delayed brainstem auditory evoked responses in diabetic patients. Journal of Laryngology and Otology 102: 857860.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Colletti, V., Fiorino, F. G., Sittoni, V., Bonanni, G. (1985) Auditory evaluation in diabetes mellitus. Advances in Audiology 3: 121132.Google Scholar
Cullen, J. R., Cinnamond, M. J. (1993) Hearing loss in diabetics. Journal of Laryngology and Otology 107: 179182.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
DeJong, R. N. (1977) CNS manifestations of diabetes mellitus. Postgraduate Medicine 61: 101107.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Donald, M. W., Bird, C. E., Lawson, J. S., Letemendia, F. J. J., Monga, T. N., Surridge, D. H. C, Varette-Cerre, P., Williams, D. L., Williams, D. M. L., Wilson, D. L. (1981) Delayed auditory brainstem responses in diabetes mellitus. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry 44: 641644.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ewing, D. J., Clarke, B. F. (1982) Diagnosis and management of diabetic autonomic neuropathy. British Medical Journal 285: 916918.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ewing, D. J., Martyn, C. N., Young, R. J., Clarke, B. F. (1985) The value of cardiovascular autonomic function tests: 10 years experience in diabetes. Diabetes Care 8: 491498.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Filipo, R., De Seta, E., Bertoli, A. (1985) High-frequency audiometry in juvenile diabetes. Advances in Audiology 3: 106111.Google Scholar
Gibbin, K. P., Davis, C. G. (1981) A hearing survey in diabetes mellitus. Clinical Otolaryngologx 6: 345350.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Goldsher, M., Pratt, H., Hassan, A., Shenhav, R., Eliacher, I., Kanter, Y. (1986) Auditory brainstem evoked potentials in insulindependent diabetics with and without peripheral neuropathy. Acta Oto-Laryngologica 102: 204208.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hendriks, J. J. T., DeJong, R. N., Hogenhus, L. A. H. (1985) Investigations of retrocochlear function in diabetic neuropathy. Clinical Otolaryngology 10: 51.Google Scholar
Jörgensen, M. B., Buch, N. H. (1961) Studies on inner-ear function and cranial nerves in diabetics. Acta Oto-Laryngologica 53: 350364.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jörgensen, M. B. (1961) The inner ear in diabetes mellitus. Archives of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery 74: 373381.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kovar, M. (1973) The inner ear in diabetes mellitus. Journal ofOto- Rhino-Laryngology and its Related Specialties 35: 4251.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kurien, M., Thomas, K., Bhanu, T. S. (1989) Hearing threshold in patients with diabetes mellitus. Journal of Laryngology and Otology 103: 164168.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Makishima, K.,Tanaka, K. (1971) Pathological changes of the inner ear and central auditory pathway in diabetics. Annals of Otology, Rhinologx and Laryngology 80: 218229.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Miller, J. J.,Beck, L., Davis, A., Jones, D. E., Thomas, A. B. (1983) Hearing loss in patients with diabetic retinopathy. American Journal of Otolaryngology 4: 342346.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Osterhammel, D., Christau, B. (1980) High frequency audiometry and stapedius muscle reflex thresholds in juvenile diabetics. Scandinavian Audiology 9: 1318.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Parving, A., Elberling, C., Balle, V., Parbo, J., Dejgaard, A., Parving, H. -H. (1990) Hearing disorders in patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Audiology 29: 113121.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sieger, A., Skinner, M. W., White, N. H., Spector, G. J. (1983) Auditory function in children with diabetes mellitus. Annals of Otology, Rhinology and Laryngology 92: 237241.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Vracko, R. (1992) A comparison of the microvascular lesions in diabetes mellitus with those in normal ageing. Journal of American Geriatry and Sociology 30: 201205.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wackym, P. A., Linthicum, F. H. (1986) Diabetes mellitus and hearing loss: clinical and histopathologic relationships. American Journal of Otology 7: 176182.Google ScholarPubMed