Audiometric notch and extended high-frequency hearing threshold shift in relation to total leisure noise exposure: An exploratory analysis

Abstract

Background:Studies investigating leisure noise effect on extended high frequency hearing are insufficient and they have inconsistent results. The aim of this study was to investigate if extended high-frequency hearing threshold shift is related to audiometric notch, and if total leisure noise exposure is associated with extended high-frequency hearing threshold shift.Materials and Methods:A questionnaire of the Ohrkan cohort study was used to collect information on demographics and leisure time activities. Conventional and extended high-frequency audiometry was performed. We did logistic regression between extended high-frequency hearing threshold shift and audiometric notch as well as between total leisure noise exposure and extended high-frequency hearing threshold shift. Potential confounders (sex, school type, and firecrackers) were included.Results:Data from 278 participants (aged 18–23 years, 53.2% female) were analyzed. Associations between hearing threshold shift at 10, 11.2, 12.5, and 14 kHz with audiometric notch were observed with a higher prevalence of threshold shift at the four frequencies, compared to the notch. However, we found no associations between total leisure noise exposure and hearing threshold shift at any extended high frequency.Conclusion:This exploratory analysis suggests that while extended high-frequency hearing threshold shifts are not related to total leisure noise exposure, they are strongly associated with audiometric notch. This leads us to further explore the hypothesis that extended high-frequency threshold shift might be indicative of the appearance of audiometric notch at a later time point, which can be investigated in the future follow-ups of the Ohrkan cohort.

The variability in potential biomarkers for cochlear synaptopathy after recreational noise exposure

“…As other studies failed to find a relation between young adults' hearing thresholds or distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) and their lifetime noise-exposure history (Degeest, Clays, et al, 2017;Keppler, Dhooge, et al, 2015b;Wei et al, 2017;Williams et al, 2015), no substantial OHC-loss due to noise exposure was expected in this population. Indeed, PTA10-16kHz was never worse than 25 dB HL and showed no significant correlation with lifetime noise-exposure history, indicating relatively intact functioning of the OHCs.…”

Εκτίμηση Και Καταγραφή Διαταραχών Ακοής Σε Μουσικούς

“…Στο δικό μας πληθυσμό λίγο λιγότεροι από τους μισούς (42,9%) εμφανίζουν εντομές στην κλασική ακοομετρία, οι οποίες συνυπάρχουν με διαταραχές στις υπερυψηλές συχνότητες. Σε διερευνητική ανάλυση διαπιστώθηκε ότι η παθολογία στις υπερυψηλές συχνότητες ίσως προϋπάρχει και εμφανίζεται προτού εκδηλωθεί η εμφάνιση της εντομής στην απλή ακοομετρία (Wei et al, 2017).…”