Distortion Product Otoacoustic Emissions (DPOAE) patterns in individuals with Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus - A comparative study

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic and potentially life-threatening condition, incidence of which is increasing rapidly in the present era. Various studies showed conflicting relationship between DM and Hearing Loss (HL). The current study was carried out to find the effect of Type 1 and Type 2 DM on hearing. The study group consisted of 90 adults in the age range of 20 to 40 years from various hospitals in and around Calicut, Kerala. These participants were divided into three groups: Group1 (Experimental group 1), included 30 individuals with Type 1 DM; Group 2 (Experimental group 2), included 30 individuals with Type 2 DM and Group 3 (Control group) included 30 age-matched non-diabetic individuals with normal hearing sensitivity. Results of the study revealed that there was significant difference in the DPOAE amplitude between Type 1 and Type 2 DM with control group and there was no significant difference in the DPOAE amplitude between Type 1 and Type 2 DM group. From the results it can be concluded that DPOAE amplitude were reduced in both Type 1 and Type 2 DM when compared to control group. This could be attributed to damage of the cochlear Outer Hair Cells (OHCs). Further, it could be assumed that damage to the OHCs due to DM in both Type 1 and Type 2 groups are relatively equal.