To Study The Effect of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Glycaemic Index on Hearing

Background: This study has been undertaken to study the effect of Type 2 diabetes mellitus and Glycaemic index on hearing. Methods: The present study was conducted on 200 persons of age group 20-45 years. All subjects included in the study were divided into two groups. Group I: 100 patients suffering from T2DM (fasting blood sugar ≥ 126mg/dl and postprandial ≥ 200mg/dl) of either sex, in the age group of 20 to 45 years. Group II: 100 healthy volunteers in the age group of 20 to 45 years, of either sex were included in control group. Hearing assessment was done by using Pure Tone Audiometry. Results: In diabetics patients, the mean threshold in the pure tone audiometry was higher at all frequencies as compared to healthy controls and there was no correlation between the glycaemic index and hearing loss. Conclusions: The prevalence of sensorineural hearing loss in type II diabetics observed was 64%. In the majority of the patients the hearing loss was bilateral affecting mid and higher frequencies from 2 KHz to 8 KHz. Hence to conclude we can say that the high prevalence of hearing loss in T2DM supports the importance of audiometric evaluation in such patients