Pure Tone Audiometric Evaluation of Hearing Loss among Diabetic Patients in Azare: A Prospective Observational Study

Background: The prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM) and the burden of its complications have been increasing, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. These complications include blindness, chronic kidney disease, heart attacks, stroke, diabetic foot disease, and hearing loss. Of these complications, hearing loss is a hidden disability; it usually goes undetected for a long time until it is too late. Once the diagnosis is late, the hearing loss is irreversible. This emphasizes the importance of early screening and prevention of hearing loss among diabetic patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence, severity, and type of hearing loss among diabetic patients attending the medical outpatient clinic of our institution.

Methods: This was a prospective observational study among adults diagnosed with DM. Ethical clearance and informed consent were obtained. Each participant had fasting blood sugar and pure tone audiometric tests performed. The severity of hearing loss was categorized according to WHO grading. The data was analyzed using Statistical Products and Service Solution (SPSS) version 26.

Results: There were 240 participants, with 131(54.6%) being males. The majority of the participants had type 2 DM 232(96.7%) with uncontrolled blood sugar levels of 176 (73.3%). The overall prevalence of hearing loss was 67.5%, of which 51.7% had asymptomatic hearing loss. The severity of hearing loss was 102(42.5%), 34(14.2%), 14(5.8%), and 4(1.7%) for mild, moderate, severe, and profound sensory neural hearing loss respectively. The most common type of hearing loss was sensorineural 154(64.2), other types were conductive hearing loss 6(2.5%), and mixed hearing loss 2(0.8%).

Conclusion: This study revealed high prevalence of hearing impairment among diabetic patients, of whom most had asymptomatic hearing impairment and were not aware of their hearing impairment. This emphasized the importance of routine pure tone audiometry for early detection of hearing loss among diabetic patients, a practice that could significantly improve the quality of life of the DM patient.