Alterações auditivas no Diabetes Mellitus

Abstract

Diabetes Mellitus is a chronic condition with a potential to injure several organs, such as the eyes, kidneys, heart, blood vessels, nerves, and brain. Therefore, it is possible that these anatomopathological changes due to hyperglycemia may also alter the organs responsible for hearing. This work was carried out to investigate and establish a correlation between Diabetes Mellitus and reduction of auditory acuity, based on the investigation of the hearing threshold and cochlear function of the patients included in the study. This is an observational, analytical, case-control study in which the patients were selected through a chart analysis of the Endocrinology service of the CESUPA Medical Specialties Center. The sample consisted of (10) patients with diabetes mellitus and (10) patients in the control group, regardless of sex, between 18 and 70 years of age, and the study was performed from October 2018 to January 2019. In the present study it was verified that 100% of the hearing losses were of bilateral sensorineural character, with predominance in females aged between 60-70 years, in the case group. Diabetes mellitus type 2 was predominant, corresponding to 90% of the sample in the case group. 60% of the patients observed had DM for more than 10 years; The most prevalent hearing loss was observed in the frequencies of 6 and 8 kHz (70% in both frequencies). The results of the Distortion-Product Otoacoustic Emissions (DPOAEs) exam showed that 10% of the patients in the case group had absent emissions in the left ear and 20% had the same result in the right ear. Among the members of the control group, the percentage of patients with absence of emissions for both the left and right ears is 20%. These results suggest that hearing loss may be related to the metabolic, neurological and circulatory repercussions of Diabetes Mellitus. This fact underscores the importance of the development of researches both for the early diagnosis of Diabetes and for a more solid investigation of the impact on the hearing of patients with the disease.