Fc. Ma et al., DIABETES AND HEARING IMPAIRMENT IN MEXICAN-AMERICAN ADULTS - A POPULATION-BASED STUDY, Journal of Laryngology and Otology, 112(9), 1998, pp. 835-839
Reports on the relationship between diabetes and hearing loss have bee
n controversial. The present study examined this relationship in 1,740
Mexican American adults using data from the Hispanic Health and Nutri
tion Examination Survey. Hearing threshold levels were obtained for ea
ch participant at the following frequencies: 500, 1000, 2000, and 4000
Hertz (Hz). The thresholds from the worse hearing ear were used in th
e analyses. Diabetes and insulin use were assessed by self-report. The
mean crude hearing thresholds in diabetics were significantly higher
than in non-diabetics at each of the four frequencies. However, after
adjustment for age, gender, and socioeconomic status, diabetics had a
significantly higher mean threshold than non-diabetics only at 500 Hz
(mean difference +/- SE: 2.8 +/- 1.2, p = 0.04). Diabetics who were no
t using insulin had significantly higher thresholds than those who wer
e using insulin at 2000 (mean difference +/- SE: 5.6 +/- 2.6, p = 0.03
) and 4000 Hz (7.7 +/- 3.3, p = 0.02. Also, at 4000 Hz, insulin users
had a significantly lower mean threshold than non-diabetics (mean diff
erence +/- SE: -4.9 +/- 1.6, p = 0.02). Our data suggest that associat
ions between diabetes and decreased hearing acuity in the higher frequ
encies are present only amongst diabetic Mexican-Americans who do not
use insulin.