Hearing impairment in type 2 diabetics and patients with early diabetic nephropathy.

Aims: The study was to investigate the hearing function in subjects with non-diabetic nephropathy and diabetic nephropathy and analyze related clinical indexes of hearing impairment.

Methods: We assessed the hearing function of 30 diabetics (DM group), 30 patients with early diabetic nephropathy (DN group) and 30 healthy subjects (NC group) using pure-tone audiometry, otoacoustic emissions, electronystagmography, caloric test and cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potential (VEMP).

Results: Pure-tone audiogram demonstrated a deficit at frequencies with elevated threshold in both DM and DN group (p < 0.