Factors related to Hearing Loss in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes at Trat Hospital

Abstract

Background

Hearing loss is characterized by a reduction in an individual’s ability to perceive sound at levels considered normal, thereby compromising the capacity to detect auditory signals essential for understanding speech and environmental sounds. The condition typically progresses insidiously, with minimal impact on communication during its early stages. As the impairment advances, however, affected individuals increasingly experience significant difficulties in auditory perception and verbal communication, which may substantially disrupt daily functioning. Diabetes constitutes a chronic, multisystem disease and remains a growing global public health challenge. Its complications frequently involve microvascular damage to the small blood vessels supplying peripheral nerves, resulting in diminished neural conduction and gradual functional deterioration. The auditory nerve is among the neural structures susceptible to such pathological changes. A substantial body of literature has demonstrated a significant association between diabetes and hearing impairment, indicating that individuals with diabetes exhibit a higher prevalence of hearing loss compared with non-diabetic populations. At present, sensorineural hearing loss is an irreversible condition. Current management strategies, including the use of hearing aids, focus on alleviating functional limitations and improving patients’ quality of life to a certain extent. Consequently, early identification of hearing impairment is of critical importance. Timely detection enables appropriate clinical management and longitudinal monitoring, which may help attenuate the progression of auditory decline and reduce the likelihood of premature or advanced hearing deterioration.

Objectives

1. To assess the hearing levels of patients with type 2 diabetes.


2. To determine the prevalence of sensorineural hearing loss among patients with type 2 diabetes.


3. To identify factors related to sensorineural hearing loss in patients with type 2 diabetes.


4. To examine the magnitude of the factors associated with sensorineural hearing loss in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Methods

This study employed a cross-sectional analytical design to determine the prevalence of sensorineural hearing loss and identify associated factors among patients with type 2 diabetes attending the Diabetes Clinic at Trat Hospital during the 2025 fiscal year. Participants were selected using purposive sampling based on predefined inclusion criteria.

Data collection included general demographic information—such as sex, age, and occupation—as well as relevant health-related variables, including duration of diabetes, comorbid conditions, smoking status, body mass index, and laboratory parameters (fasting blood sugar, HbA1c, and estimated glomerular filtration rate). Following data collection, all eligible participants were referred for audiometric evaluation at the Otolaryngology Clinic of Trat Hospital to assess their hearing levels.

Results

Among patients with type 2 diabetes, the majority exhibited normal hearing thresholds in the speech-frequency range in both ears. Among those with hearing impairment, mild sensorineural hearing loss was most commonly observed, followed by moderate and moderately severe levels, respectively. No cases of severe hearing loss or profound deafness were identified.

The prevalence of speech-frequency hearing loss in either ear or both ears was 21.5%, while high-frequency hearing loss was observed in 55.4% of the participants. Male patients demonstrated a higher tendency toward high-frequency hearing impairment compared with female patients. The highest prevalence of both speech-frequency and high-frequency hearing loss was found among individuals aged 51–60 years. Analysis of factors associated with speech-frequency hearing loss indicated that age was significantly associated with hearing impairment among patients with type 2 diabetes. Patients aged 51–60 years had a 12.04-fold increased risk compared with those aged 30–40 years. For high-frequency hearing loss, sex, age, duration of diabetes, and body mass index were significantly associated factors. Male patients had a 6.07-fold higher risk compared with female patients. Patients aged 41–50 years and 51–60 years had 4.04-fold and 15.09-fold higher risks, respectively, compared with those aged 30–40 years. In addition, patients with a duration of diabetes greater than 10 years had a 4.06-fold increased risk compared with those with a duration of less than 5 years.

Conclusion

Most patients with type 2 diabetes exhibited normal hearing thresholds within the speech-frequency range. Among those with hearing impairment, mild hearing loss was the most commonly observed severity level. In contrast, a markedly higher proportion of patients demonstrated high-frequency hearing loss, indicating that auditory dysfunction in individuals with type 2 diabetes tends to manifest initially at high frequencies. Age was identified as the factor associated with speech-frequency hearing loss. For high-frequency hearing loss, the associated factors included sex, age, duration of diabetes, and body mass index. Increasing age was the strongest risk factor for high-frequency hearing loss, followed by male sex and longer duration of diabetes.