Study of audio vestibular dysfunction in type2 diabetes mellitus

Background: Improved quality of life is prime concern of management of diabetes, which is affecting vast population in later years. Audio vestibular function monitoring and care in the diabetics is part of such concern. Materials and methods: A cross sectional investigation was carried out, of type 2 diabetes patients at different stages of disease and therapy to evaluate audio vestibular dysfunction profiles. Results: Hearing loss (HL) was fairly common even in mild early disease while, tinnitus and vertigo too, occurred in all age, gender, disease duration and therapy categories of diabetics. Some 39% of patients bearing tinnitus or vertigo had normal audiograms. Aged males were found to have more exaggerated prevalence of audio vestibular problems than females. Insulin therapy in presumably, patients of long standing disease had lower prevalence of vertigo. Conclusion: Findings imply, more complex relation of audio vestibular complications to diabetes than, to glycemic status or duration of disease. Monitoring of such complications from the earliest, may alone, bring understanding of their pathogenesis and proper prevention and management.