Resumen

NKOSI, Sakhile T.; PETER, Vuyelwa Z.  y  PAKEN, Jessica. Audiological profile of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. S. Afr. J. Commun. Disord. [online]. 2024, vol.71, n.1, pp.1-13. ISSN 2225-4765.  https://doi.org/10.4102/sajcd.v71i1.1035.

BACKGROUND: South Africa shows a high prevalence of type 2 diabetes with reported association with auditory dysfunction. OBJECTIVES: To describe the audiological profile of adults with this metabolic condition. METHOD: Employing a descriptive research design, 35 individuals with type 2 diabetes, selected through purposive sampling, underwent a basic audiological assessment in addition to extended high-frequency (EHF) audiometry, distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAE) testing and neurological auditory brainstem response (ABR) test. RESULTS: This study revealed a 31.4% prevalence of hearing loss with 81.8% being sensorineural in nature. Poor hearing thresholds were observed at 16 kHz (n = 19; 54.3%), 18 kHz (n = 24; 68.6%) and 20 kHz (n = 30; 85.7%) in the right ear and at 16 kHz (n = 20; 57.1%), 18 kHz (n = 24; 68.6%) and 20 kHz (n = 30; 85.7%) in the left ear. Absent DPOAEs were observed at 6 kHz (n = 20; 51.7%) and 8 kHz (n = 24; 68.6%) in the right ear and at 6 kHz (n = 17; 48.6%) and 8 kHz (n = 29; 82.9%) in the left ear, possibly indicating that type 2 diabetes specifically targets higher frequency hearing. The ABR results revealed a delayed absolute latency of wave III bilaterally (right ear -69%; left ear - 51%), suggesting an impact of this metabolic disease on retro-cochlear pathways. CONCLUSION: Hearing loss should be recognised as a comorbidity accompanying type 2 diabetes, which indicates the need for routine comprehensive audiological assessments to facilitate early detection and intervention. CONTRIBUTION: The present findings have implications for audiology clinical protocols; diabetes related health policies and patient education.

Palabras clave : audiological profile; type 2 diabetes mellitus; hypertension; hearing loss; adults.

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