Occupational and medical aspects of occupational morbidity in men with neurosensory hearing loss

Abstract

Introduction. Occupational neurosensory hearing loss is one of the most common occupational diseases. So far, there have been no studies in the scientific literature devoted to a retrospective analysis of professional conditions and conditions of medical care organization in case this pathology is detected in workers served by the system of health care institutions of FMBA of Russia.Materials and methods The study used data from the "Industry register of persons with occupational diseases", accounting documents and regulations that allow an analysis of working conditions and medical care.Results The rate of neurosensory hearing loss was 31.3 % in the structure of occupational diseases among employees of enterprises and organizations served by FMBA health care institutions of Russia in 2010-2020. The frequency of continuous use of anti-noise personal protective equipment decreased from 77.8 % (2010–2015) to 75.4 % (2016–2020). Occupational neurosensory hearing loss was diagnosed in 79.4 % of workers based on periodic medical examinations and in 20.6 % of workers based on self-referrals. The decision to refer an employee for determination of the degree of disability was made in 16.5 % of cases.Discussion On the basis of the scientific literature and the results of our study, a proposal to take into account not only physical, but also chemical occupational hazards that aggravate the impact of industrial noise on employee health, as well as the anamnesis of tobacco smoking, cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus and atherosclerosis.Conclusion The risk group for occupational neurosensory hearing loss is men over 50 years of age. The duration of formation of this pathology is 34,1 ± 1,1 years at the PS level of 90,6 ± 1,0 dB. The importance of optimal organization of periodic medical examinations and the need to control the use of anti-noise personal protective equipment in the workplace is noted.