Metformin Reduces the Incidence of Sensorineural Hearing Loss in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Retrospective Chart Review

Toru Miwa; Tomoko Kita; Taro Yamaguchi; Tatsunori Sakamoto

doi:10.7759/cureus.30406

Metformin Reduces the Incidence of Sensorineural Hearing Loss in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Retrospective Chart Review

Cureus. 2022 Oct 17;14(10):e30406. doi: 10.7759/cureus.30406. eCollection 2022 Oct.

Authors

Toru Miwa¹, Tomoko Kita², Taro Yamaguchi³, Tatsunori Sakamoto⁴

Affiliations

¹ Otolaryngology, Osaka Metropolitan University, Osaka, JPN.
² Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Kyoto University, Kyoto, JPN.
³ Laboratory of Pharmacology, Setsunan University, Osaka, JPN.
⁴ Otolaryngology, Faculty of Medicine, Shimane University, Shimane, JPN.

Abstract

Introduction and objectives Acquired sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) has become a critical societal issue in recent years. SNHL is considered a risk factor for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Metformin is commonly used to treat T2DM. However, its effects on SNHL have not been reported yet. Hence, this study aimed to evaluate the association between the use of metformin and SNHL incidence. Patients and methods In this retrospective matched-cohort study, the medical records of 1219 patients with T2DM aged >18 years from our hospital's inpatient database from January 1, 2012, to December 31, 2019, were examined, and matched cohorts were generated (76 patients receiving metformin and 76 not receiving metformin). A multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to investigate the factors influencing the incidence of SNHL. Results After adjustment by propensity matching, multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed that the non-use of metformin increased the risk of developing SNHL (odds ratio, 0.26; 95% confidence interval, 0.07-0.93; p = 0.03). Conclusions This study demonstrated an association between the use of metformin and a reduced incidence of SNHL among patients with T2DM.

Keywords: diabetes mellitus type 2; metformin; multivariate logistic regression analysis; propensity score matching (psm); sensorineural (sn) hearing loss.