Hearing Risk among Young Personal Listening Device Users: Effects at High-Frequency and Extended High- Frequency Audiogram Thresholds

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:The usage of personal listening devices (PLDs) is associated with risks of hearing loss. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of music exposure from these devices on high-frequency hearing thresholds of PLD users. MATERIALS and METHODS:A total of 282 young adults were questioned regarding their listening habits and symptoms associated with PLD listening. Their audiogram thresholds were determined at high (3-8 kHz) frequencies and extended high frequencies (EHFs, 9-16 kHz). The preferred listening volumes of PLD users were used to compute their overall 8-h equivalent music exposure levels (L Aeq8h ). RESULTS:Approximately 80% of the subjects were regular PLD users. Of these, 20.1% had L Aeq8h of ≥75 dBA, while 4.4% of them had L Aeq8h of ≥85 dBA, which carries a high risk of hearing damage. Compared with those exposed to L Aeq8h of <75 dBA, subjects who had L Aeq8h of ≥75 dBA reported a significantly higher incidence of tinnitus and difficulty in hearing others immediately after using PLDs. PLD users who were exposed to L Aeq8h of ≥75 dBA and had been using their devices for ≥4 years also showed significantly higher mean audiogram thresholds compared with non-users at most EHFs tested. In addition, the thresholds of PLD users at EHFs showed a weak but significant positive correlation with their L Aeq8h . CONCLUSION:The present findings suggest that excessive exposure to music among PLD users may lead to initial effects on their hearing at very high frequencies.

The Effects of Short-Term and Long-term Hearing Changes on Music Exposure: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…The authors confirmed that four [9,[20][21][22] of the selected studies had "good" quality (scored 7-9). The remaining studies were evaluated as having "fair" quality (score 4-6) [20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34] except for one study with a score of 3, evaluated as having "poor" quality [35]. Thus, 16 articles were included for systematic review and meta-analysis in this study.…”

“…Sixteen high-quality studies that reported hearing thresholds of PTA (4, 6, and 8 kHz testing frequencies) and amplitudes of the DPOAEs (2, 4, and 6 center frequencies) were pooled for analysis. As mentioned earlier, the studies were divided into two groups to see short-term hearing changes (pre/post-exposure with 24 hours; n = 7) [20,23,25,[27][28][29]32] and long-term hearing changes (PLDs users/non-users; n = 9) [9,21,22,24,26,30,31,33,34]. For short-term hearing changes within 24 h after music exposure [20,23,25,[27][28][29]32], the studies pooled for analysis showed PTA 4, 6, and 8 kHz changes at pre-and post-music exposure (see Figure 2).…”

Knowledge and practices related to the use of personal audio devices and associated health risks among medical students in Delhi

“…A study in Malaysia found male students listening to music using PADs at significantly higher volumes compared to female students. [13] Similarly, another study among first-year polytechnic students in Singapore found that male students were more likely to listen to music on PADs at louder volumes than female students. [25]…”

“…[7891011] Furthermore, recreational NIHS through PADs has an insidious onset which develops over a prolonged period during which the affected individuals are often unaware of the hearing loss as it initially affects higher frequencies while sparing the speech range. [121314] Although modern PADs and smartphones have features for alerting users when volume threshold of the safety limits is exceeded, it is inadequate for protecting hearing since they can be manually overridden by the listener. [15] Also, the sound pressure delivered to the listener depends on the type of earphone, with expensive isolator-style earphones being more protective but are less commonly used in people with limited economic means.…”

Occupational Noise Exposure and Hearing Impairment among Spinning Workers in Iran

“…Meanwhile, 16% of incapacitating and irreversible cases of hearing loss in adults are caused by exposure to occupational noise worldwide (1,2). The effects of noise exposure on the auditory system in working populations have been recognized in several countries (3)(4)(5). In general, prolonged exposure to excessive noise leads to adverse effects on one's performance.…”