Functional hearing deficits in children with Type 1 diabetes

Abstract

Aim: Hearing loss (as reflected by abnormal sound detection) is a frequently reported consequence of Type 1 diabetes mellitus. We sought to evaluate sound detection, auditory neural function and binaural processing ability in a group of school-aged participants with Type 1 diabetes and to assess their functional hearing and general communication ability. Methods: A range of electroacoustic, electrophysiological and behavioural test techniques were used to evaluate both cochlear and auditory neural function in 19 affected children. A cohort of matched controls was also assessed. Results: Although all of the participants with Type 1 diabetes enjoyed normal sound detection, 9 of the 19 (47%) sh..