Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

High prevalence of disabling hearing loss in young to middle-aged adults with diabetes

  • Original Article
  • Published:
International Journal of Diabetes in Developing Countries Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

South Africa has one of the highest diabetes prevalence numbers in Sub-Saharan Africa with more than 2 million diagnosed. There is an increase in evidence linking diabetes with hearing loss. This study aimed to determine prevalence and characterize the nature of hearing loss in patients with diabetes. An observational matched groups design was utilized with a total of 192 participants, 110 patients with diabetes (cohort) and 82 patients without diabetes (control). Pure tone audiometry findings showed a significantly higher prevalence of hearing loss in those with diabetes (55%) when compared to those without (20%) diabetes (p < .001). Further, in patients with diabetes (and diagnosed with hearing loss), the majority (74%) presented with sensorineural hearing loss. There was a higher number of participants with disabling hearing loss (pure tone average (PTA) 0.5, 1, 2 and 4 kHz > 41-dB hearing level (HL) in the better ear) in those with diabetes (n = 48) than those without (n = 10). Distortion product otoacoustic emission assessments showed significantly higher percentages of abnormalities (p < 0.01) in those with diabetes compared to those without diabetes. Findings of this study showed that participants who were diagnosed with diabetes had a higher proportion of disabling hearing loss when compared to those without diabetes. The findings of this study further strengthen the suggestion that hearing loss should be considered as a comorbidity associated with diabetes.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. World Health Organization. World health statistics. 2012 http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/44844/1/9789241564441_eng.pdf?ua=1. Accessed 15 April 2014.

  2. World Health Organization. Non-communicable diseases [Fact sheet]. 2016. http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs355/en/Nai. Accessed 25 May 2014.

  3. Frisina T, Mapes F, Kim S, Frisina R. Characterization of hearing loss in aged type 2 diabetics. Hear Res. 2006;211:103–13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heares.2005.09.002.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Rheeder P. Type 2 diabetes: the emerging epidemic. S Afr Fam Pract. 2006;48(10):20. Accessed from https://www.ajol.info/index.php/safp/article/view/13294

    Google Scholar 

  5. Peer N, Kengne AP, Motala A, Mbanya J. Diabetes in the Africa region: 2013 update for the IDF diabetes atlas. Diabetes Res Clin Pract. 2013; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.diabres.2013.11.006.

  6. Jáuregui-Renaud K, Sánchez B, Olmos A, González-Barcena D. Neuro-otologic symptoms in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Diabetes Res Clin Pract. 2009;84:e45–7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.diabres.2009.02.015.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Panchu P. Auditory acuity in type 2 diabetes mellitus. Int J Diabetes Dev Ctries. 2008;28:114–20.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  8. Pemmaiah K, Srinivas D. Hearing loss in diabetes mellitus. Int J Collab Res Intern Med Public Health. 2011;3:725–32. Accessed from http://iomcworld.com/ijcrimph/ijcrimph-v03-n10-03.htm

    Google Scholar 

  9. Thimmasettaiah NB, Shankar R. A one year prospective study of hearing loss in diabetes in general population. Transl Biomed. 2012; https://doi.org/10.3823/433.

  10. Bainbridge K, Hoffman J, Cowie C. Diabetes and hearing impairment in the United States: audiometric evidence from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys 1999-2004. Ann Intern Med. 2008;149:1–10. https://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-149-1-200807010-00231.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  11. Botelho CT, Carvalho S, Silva IN. Increased prevalence of early cochlear damage in young patients with type 1 diabetes detected by distortion product otoacoustic emissions. Int J Audiol. 2014;53:402–8. https://doi.org/10.3109/14992027.2013.879341.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Olege E, Okorot F. Type 2 diabetes and hearing loss in black Africans cardiovascular therapies and their role in diabetic eye disease. Diabet Med. 2005;22:664–6. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1464-5491.2005.01479.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Bagli Z. Multicultural aspects of hearing loss. In: Battle D, editor. Communication disorders in multicultural and international populations. Missouri: Elsevier Inc; 2012. p. 208–42.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  14. Kakarlapudi V, Sawyer R, Staecker H. The effect of diabetes on sensorineural hearing loss. Otol Neurotol. 2003;24:382–6. Accessed from http://ovidsp.tx.ovid.com/sp-3.29.1a/ovidweb.cgi?&S=EKIMFPMBLODDFAHENCFKADMCAPKPAA00&Link+Set=S.sh.22%7c1%7csl_10

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Mozaffari M, Tajik A, Ariaei N, Ali-Ehyaii F, Behnam H. Diabetes mellitus and sensorineural hearing loss among non-elderly people. East Mediterr Health J. 2010;16:947–52. https://doi.org/10.26719/2010.16.9.947.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Bhaskar KN, Chalihadan S, Vaswani R, Rehaman CPA. Clinical and audiometric assessment of hearing loss in diabetes mellitus. Int J Sci Stud. 2014;2(4):2–17. Accessed from https://www.ijss-sn.com/uploads/2/0/1/5/20153321/ijss_july-01.pdf

    Google Scholar 

  17. World Health Organization. Non-communicable diseases [Fact sheet]. 2015. Accessed 25 May 2014. http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs355/en/Nai.

  18. Clark JG. Uses and abuses of hearing loss classification. ASHA. 1981;23:493–500. Accessed from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/16145943_Uses_and_abuses_of_hearing_loss_classification

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Timmer B. It may be mild, slight, or minimal, but it’s not insignificant. Hearing Review. 2014;21:30–3. Accessed from http://www.hearingreview.com/2014/04/may-mild-slight-minimal-insignificant/

    Google Scholar 

  20. Kaderavek J, Pakulski L. Minimal hearing loss is nor minimal. Teach Except Child. 2002;34:14–8. https://doi.org/10.1177/004005990203400602.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Arlinger S. Negative consequences of uncorrected hearing loss—a review. Int J Audiol. 2003;42:17–20. https://doi.org/10.3109/14992020309074639.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Mitchell P, Gopinath B, McMahon RE, Wang BJ, Leeder S. Relationship of type 2 diabetes to the prevalence, incidence and progression of age-related hearing loss. Diabet Med. 2009;26:483–8. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1464-5491.2009.02710.x.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Akinpelu V, Ibrahim F, Waissbluth S, Daniel S. Histopathologic changes in the cochlea associated with diabetes mellitus—a review. Otol Neurotol. 2014;35:674–774. https://doi.org/10.1097/MAO.0000000000000293.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Sparring V, Burström K, Nyström L, Wahlström R, Jonsson P, Östman J. Diabetes duration and health-related quality of life in individuals with onset of diabetes in the age group 15-34 years: a Swedish population based study using EQ-5D. Public Health. 2013; https://doi.org/10.1186/471-2458/13/377.

  25. Kim M, Zhang Y, Chang Y, Ryu S, Choi Y, Kwon M, et al. Diabetes mellitus and the incidence of hearing loss: a cohort study. Int J Epidemiol. 2017:dyw243. https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyw243.

  26. Sharashenidze N, Schacht J, Kevanishvili Z. Age-related hearing loss: gender differences. Georgian Med News. 2007;144:14–8. Accessed from http://www.geomednews.org/

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge and thank the Polokwane Provincial Academic Hospital audiology staff (data collection site) for their cooperation in the study as well as the Provincial Department of Health in Limpopo for granting permission for the study.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Cape Town, Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Division of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Room 41, Suite F46, Old Main Building, Groote Schuur Hospital, Observatory, 7925, South Africa

    Vera-Genevey Hlayisi, Lucretia Petersen & Lebogang Ramma

Authors
  1. Vera-Genevey Hlayisi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Lucretia Petersen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Lebogang Ramma
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

V. Hlayisi: concepts, design, definition of intellectual content, literature search, data acquisition, data analysis, statistical analysis, manuscript preparation, manuscript editing, and manuscript review.

L. Petersen: definition of intellectual content, literature search, manuscript preparation, manuscript editing, and manuscript review.

L. Ramma: definition of intellectual content, literature search, data analysis manuscript preparation, manuscript editing, and manuscript review.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Vera-Genevey Hlayisi.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Research involving human participants

All procedures performed in the study were in accordance with the 1964 Helsinki declaration (and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards) as well as the ethical standards of the institutional committee. Ethics clearance was obtained from the University of Cape Town’s Faculty of Health Sciences Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC/Ref:134/2015) prior to the commencement of the study.

Informed consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Hlayisi, VG., Petersen, L. & Ramma, L. High prevalence of disabling hearing loss in young to middle-aged adults with diabetes. Int J Diabetes Dev Ctries 39, 148–153 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13410-018-0655-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13410-018-0655-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation