Vol. 3, Issue 8, Part B (2017)

Aim: To examine the auditory functions in type 1 diabetic children.

Materials and methods: The study was conducted in the Department of Pediatrics of the medical institution. For the study we selected 40 children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus that reported to outpatient department. Other 40 normal healthy students were selected as controls. Patient’s demographic data such as age, sex, insulin dosage, duration of diabetes and HbA1C levels were recorded. The assessment of hearing threshold was done by pure tone audiometric test. The statistical analysis of the data was done using SPSS software.

Results: A total of 40 diabetic and 40 normal healthy control subjects participated in the study. The age of subjects ranged from 5-18 years with mean age being 11.38+4.1 years. The mean hearing threshold of diabetic group patients was significantly higher as compared to control group with respect to all frequencies. Also, the mean threshold of poor controlled diabetic patients was higher as compared to well controlled diabetic patients. The results were significant with respect to frequencies 250 Hz, 500 Hz, 1000 Hz and 4000 Hz.

Conclusion: From the results of current study, type 1 diabetic children have hearing loss at middle and high frequencies as compared to control group children. The complications can be prevented by controlling the diabetes with strict diabetic diet.