Introduction: Hearing loss is considered to be a subsequent complication of diabetes.
Material and methods: Auditory function was analyzed in 50 patients suffering from diabetes mellitus type I, and through results of pure-tone audiometry and brainstem auditory evoked potentials in regard to the existence of subsequent complications of the disease, diabetic neuropathy (n=20) and retinopathy (n=13).
Results and discussion: The results were correlated with the ones in those having a disease, but without these complications and the control group of 30 healthy examinees of the adequate gender and age. Patients suffering from this disease for over 10 years (83.33%), were found to have high frequency of diabetic neuropathy, increased average sensorineural hearing loss (73.04%). The average age was significantly higher (35.5 +/- (3SD = 5.3) in accordance with 23.2 +/- (3 SD = 6.3), and the disease lasted much longer (17.5 years towards 5.7 years) in those suffering from neuropathy. In the presence of diabetic retinopathy it was found that the average sensorineural hearing loss was increased for 50.43%, in comparison to those without signs of retinopathy. The average sensorineural hearing loss was found to be higher for 62.58% to 76.81% in patients with retinopathy preproliferance and retinopathy profilerance than in those with established retinopathy nonprolferance. In the presence of diabetic retinopatlhy, a significant difference was observed in latencies of ll and IV waves from the right, and latencies of I, IV and V waves from the left ear, this is, interwaves latencies of I-III on the right ear and III-V and I-V on the left ear.
Conclusion: Subsequent complications of diabetes mellitus type I (neuropathy and retinopathy) have positive correlation with the significant level of sensorineural hearing loss, particulary expressed in function of patients' age, and latencies extention of brainstem auditory evoked potentials.