Sensorineural deafness in insulin dependent diabetes mellitus

32 patients suffering form Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus [IDDM], who did not complain of any overt hearing problem, underwent Pure Tone Audiometry. Appreciable bilateral sensorineural deafness was found in seven patients. The loss was more at higher frequencies in males. IDDM patients having longstanding disease were significantly deafer than those with recent onset of diabetes. No correlation between the degree of deafness and poorly controlled diabetes or insulin dosage was noted. We conclude that IDDM does predispose to sensorineural deafness, the impairment being directly proportional to the duration of the disease