title: Functional hearing deficits in children with Type 1 diabetes.
abstract: 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.
  
  
  
  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.
  
  
  
  Although all of the participants with Type 1 diabetes enjoyed normal sound detection, 9 of the 19 (47%) showed evidence of auditory pathway abnormality with evoked potential latencies and/or amplitudes beyond age-related norms. Auditory brainstem response interpeak latencies (wave I-V) were longer than in matched controls [ 95% confidence interval (95% CI); 0.10, 0.28 ms: P < 0.001] and wave V amplitudes were reduced (95% CI; -0.21, 0.00 μV: P = 0.02). Binaural speech perception in noise was also impaired (95% CI; 0.82, 3.17 dB: P = 0.002) and perceptual ability was correlated with degree of neural disruption in the auditory brainstem (r = 0.662, P = 0.003).
  
  
  
  Hearing deficits severe enough to restrict communication and threaten academic progress were common on our group of school-aged children with Type 1 diabetes. Evaluation of both cochlear and auditory neural function may form an important part of the standard management regime for children with diabetes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Audiology & Speech Pathology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rance
authors.affiliation: Department of Audiology & Speech Pathology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Chisari
authors.affiliation: Department of Audiology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Edvall
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology & Diabetes, Royal Children's Hospital, Parkville, Australia.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cameron
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001307:Auditory Perception / Q000502:physiology; D001309:Auditory Threshold; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003929:Diabetic Neuropathies / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016057:Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D034381:Hearing Loss / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017084:Otoacoustic Emissions, Spontaneous / Q000502:physiology*; D013067:Speech Perception / Q000502:physiology*