Abstract
Background: Diabetes is a multisystem disorder and the basic pathophysiology behind most complications of diabetes is microangiopathy leading to neuropathy. Cochlear microangiopathy may cause hearing impairment in diabetes patients. Literature in this field in the Indian population is sparse, making this study extremely relevant in the Indian context.

Aim and Objectives: The aim of the study was to compare the pure tone hearing thresholds between diabetics and nondiabetics and to describe the association between hemoglobin A1C (HbA1c), duration of diabetes, and pure tone hearing thresholds.

Materials and Methods: The study subjects were evaluated for their glycemic status and were categorized into three groups; Group 1: Non-diabetics, Group 2: Diabetics with good glycemic control (HbA1c <7%), and Group 3: Diabetics with poor glycemic control (HbA1c >7%). All three groups underwent pure tone audiometric evaluation and the data were statistically evaluated.

Results: The air and bone conduction thresholds of diabetic patients were higher in all the frequencies between 250 Hz and 8000 Hz for both ears. The air-bone gap was <10 dB suggesting a sensorineural hearing loss in diabetic patients. HbA1c levels and duration of diabetes showed significant association with pure-tone hearing thresholds in diabetics.

Conclusion: Diabetic patients showed significantly increased auditory thresholds in all the frequencies and a sensorineural type of hearing loss on pure tone audiometric evaluation. Glycemic control and duration of diabetes mellitus were found to have a significant association with pure-tone hearing thresholds at all frequencies in diabetic patients.

Key words: Fasting Blood Sugar; Glycated Hemoglobin; Pure Tone Audiometry; Post-prandial Blood Sugar; Sensorineural Hearing Loss; Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus