Type 1 diabetes and hearing loss: Audiometric assessment and measurement of circulating levels of soluble receptor for advanced glycation end products

Abstract

Background: We examined the hearing function in adults with and without type 1 diabetes (T1D) to investigate whether an association exists between hearing loss and duration of diabetes, haemoglobin A1C level, diabetes complications and levels of select serum and urinary biomarkers. Methods: We measured pure tone audiometry (PTA) thresholds; serum levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), soluble receptors for advanced glycation end-product (sRAGE); and urinary isoprostane in 30 adults with T1D (age 43.8 ± 11.4 years). We also measured PTA thresholds in 11 adults without diabetes (age 53 ± 5.5 years). Results: 63.3% of adults with T1D had high-frequency hearing loss. Among adults with T1D, those with hearing loss were older (48.2 vs 36.2 years old, P