Introdução: O zumbido é definido como uma sensação auditiva ilusória sem a presença de um som externo. Acomete homens e mulheres, mais comumente entre 40 e 70 anos de idade, às vezes podendo ocorrer em crianças. Análises de dados epidemiológicos indicam que a exposição ao ruído é uma das causas mais comuns de zumbido. Objetivos: Os objetivos gerais deste estudo foram verificar a prevalência do zumbido em trabalhadores expostos ao ruído ocupacional e avaliar a freqüência e a intensidade do zumbido. Os objetivos específicos foram avaliar a gravidade do zumbido; analisar a presença do zumbido por sexo, cor, idade e tempo de trabalho com exposição ao ruído e analisar a relação do zumbido com as freqüências mais acometidas na audiometria e com a presença e grau da perda auditiva, independente do nexo da perda. Materiais e Métodos: Trata-se de um estudo transversal para o qual foram selecionados 362 prontuários de trabalhadores expostos a ruído ocupacional ≥80dB(NA)/8h diárias. Estes trabalhadores haviam sido submetidos a meatoscopia, anamnese clínica e ocupacional, audiometria de via aérea, avaliação de freqüência e intensidade do zumbido e à escala de avaliação da gravidade do zumbido. Conclusão: A prevalência do zumbido foi de 9,9%. Nas análises de regressão conclui-se que trabalhadores com presença de perda auditiva em pelo menos um dos ouvidos têm 2,396 vezes mais chances de ter zumbido quando comparados com os que não tem perda auditiva. Os trabalhadores com faixa etária acima ou igual a 30 anos tem 5,353 vezes mais chances de ter perda auditiva em pelo menos um dos ouvidos quando comparados com os de faixa etária menor que 30 anos. Com relação ao tempo de trabalho em contato com o ruído, a analise estatística revela que trabalhadores com diferença de 1 ano no tempo de trabalho em contato com ruído tem um risco 5,3 % (OR=1,053) maior de apresentar perda auditiva. / Background: Tinnitus is an auditory phantom sensation experienced when no external sound is present. It occurs in both men and women, and is more prevalent between the age of 40 and 70; however, it may also occur in children. Analyses of epidemiologic data indicate that exposure to noise is its most common cause. Object: The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and characteristics of tinnitus in noise-exposed workers. Its specific objectives were to evaluate the severity of tinnitus, to compare the presence of tinnitus with the individual’s sex, race, age, and time of exposure to noise in the workplace, and to analyze the relation between tinnitus and the most affected frequencies in audiometric tests as well as the presence and level of hearing loss. Materials and Methods: The present was a cross-sectional study for which 362 files of workers exposed to noise (≥80dB(A)/8h per day) were selected. These workers had undergone otoscopy, clinical and occupational anamnesis, audiometric test of ear conduction, and an investigation of frequency, intensity, and severity of tinnitus. Conclusion: The prevalence of tinnitus found was 9.9%. After logistic regression analyses, it was concluded that workers with hearing loss in at least one ear have 2.396 times more chance of having tinnitus than those who do not have hearing loss. Workers aged 30 or older have 5.353 times more chance of having hearing loss in at least one ear than those younger than 30. As to time of exposure to noise in the workplace, statistical analysis showed that workers with a difference of 1 year in time of exposure to noise have a 5.3% (OR=1.053) higher risk of suffering hearing loss.

Introdução: O zumbido é definido como uma sensação auditiva ilusória sem a presença de um som externo. Acomete homens e mulheres, mais comumente entre 40 e 70 anos de idade, às vezes podendo ocorrer em crianças. Análises de dados epidemiológicos indicam que a exposição ao ruído é uma das causas mais comuns de zumbido. Objetivos: Os objetivos gerais deste estudo foram verificar a prevalência do zumbido em trabalhadores expostos ao ruído ocupacional e avaliar a freqüência e a intensidade do zumbido. Os objetivos específicos foram avaliar a gravidade do zumbido; analisar a presença do zumbido por sexo, cor, idade e tempo de trabalho com exposição ao ruído e analisar a relação do zumbido com as freqüências mais acometidas na audiometria e com a presença e grau da perda auditiva, independente do nexo da perda. Materiais e Métodos: Trata-se de um estudo transversal para o qual foram selecionados 362 prontuários de trabalhadores expostos a ruído ocupacional ≥80dB(NA)/8h diárias. Estes trabalhadores haviam sido submetidos a meatoscopia, anamnese clínica e ocupacional, audiometria de via aérea, avaliação de freqüência e intensidade do zumbido e à escala de avaliação da gravidade do zumbido. Conclusão: A prevalência do zumbido foi de 9,9%. Nas análises de regressão conclui-se que trabalhadores com presença de perda auditiva em pelo menos um dos ouvidos têm 2,396 vezes mais chances de ter zumbido quando comparados com os que não tem perda auditiva. Os trabalhadores com faixa etária acima ou igual a 30 anos tem 5,353 vezes mais chances de ter perda auditiva em pelo menos um dos ouvidos quando comparados com os de faixa etária menor que 30 anos. Com relação ao tempo de trabalho em contato com o ruído, a analise estatística revela que trabalhadores com diferença de 1 ano no tempo de trabalho em contato com ruído tem um risco 5,3 % (OR=1,053) maior de apresentar perda auditiva. / Background: Tinnitus is an auditory phantom sensation experienced when no external sound is present. It occurs in both men and women, and is more prevalent between the age of 40 and 70; however, it may also occur in children. Analyses of epidemiologic data indicate that exposure to noise is its most common cause. Object: The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and characteristics of tinnitus in noise-exposed workers. Its specific objectives were to evaluate the severity of tinnitus, to compare the presence of tinnitus with the individual’s sex, race, age, and time of exposure to noise in the workplace, and to analyze the relation between tinnitus and the most affected frequencies in audiometric tests as well as the presence and level of hearing loss. Materials and Methods: The present was a cross-sectional study for which 362 files of workers exposed to noise (≥80dB(A)/8h per day) were selected. These workers had undergone otoscopy, clinical and occupational anamnesis, audiometric test of ear conduction, and an investigation of frequency, intensity, and severity of tinnitus. Conclusion: The prevalence of tinnitus found was 9.9%. After logistic regression analyses, it was concluded that workers with hearing loss in at least one ear have 2.396 times more chance of having tinnitus than those who do not have hearing loss. Workers aged 30 or older have 5.353 times more chance of having hearing loss in at least one ear than those younger than 30. As to time of exposure to noise in the workplace, statistical analysis showed that workers with a difference of 1 year in time of exposure to noise have a 5.3% (OR=1.053) higher risk of suffering hearing loss.

Recreational noise exposure has tripled in the last three decades. A major source of this noise is amplified music. Exposure to amplified music can result in similar auditory damage to that caused by other loud noises. Damage to the inner ear leads to elevations of hearing thresholds, characteristically a loss in higher frequencies. An acquired hearing loss due to amplified music can be referred to as a recreational noise-induced hearing loss. Prevention of recreational hearing loss begins with improving awareness about the risk of amplified music. In order to assess the risk perceptions of young people attending music events, a descriptive design involving a quantitative risk-perception survey was conducted at five music events. Dosimetry measurements were performed in order to describe the sound pressure levels. This investigation provided information regarding the influence of demographics on the perception of risk. It was suggested that women, older age groups, and those from a higher socio-economic status (SES) are more likely to identify themselves as more susceptible to auditory-specific symptoms. The demographics of the population that showed greater propensity for risk was males, those aged 18 to 20 years, those in Matric, homemakers and individuals from a lower income group. These individuals may perceive themselves as invulnerable to negative consequences. Furthermore, majority of those who attend music events have never used earplugs; with only a third of them willing to make use of hearing protection if it were stipulated by law. Concern about one’s own hearing and awareness of other auditory symptoms could be associated with greater compliance to hearing protection. In order to promote healthy hearing behaviour among young people, it is crucial to account for differences in risk perceptions. The findings in this investigation are valuable in terms of the development of recreational hearing health risk preventative strategies. Keywords: noise-induced hearing loss, recreational, risk perceptions, gender, age, education, socio-economic status, hearing protection / Dissertation (MCommPath)--University of Pretoria, 2015. / Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology / Unrestricted

The escalating cost of claims for Noise Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL) in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) supports the need to review and upgrade current hearing conservation practices. The rise of these escalating costs and the need to protect the military personnel when training in extreme noise conditions has initiated an engineering investigation within the Department of National Defence (DND) and in collaboration with the University of Ottawa, to review the existing standards in the field of hearing protection test and evaluation, to propose technical recommendations and to identify the possible technical problems and gaps impacting the quality of the existing procedures. This study dealt with the estimation of the protection capability of Hearing Protection Devices (HPDs) in the case of high-level impulse noise from small firearms weapons that are a particularly damaging source of noise in military environments, representing an important cause of NIHL. Testing and evaluation based on a system engineering approach have been used in this work introducing: - A new testing approach, based on ANSI/ASA S12.42-2010, for testing HPDs when the impulse noise is generated by a small firearm; - A new evaluation approach for HPD performance, introducing a characterization approach using a sub-band analysis for dealing with impulse noise generated by a small firearm. The effectiveness of HPDs, taking into account the physiological human limitations induced by Bone Conduction (BC), is computed by using an innovative method attempting to better prevent the risk of NIHL when using small firearms.

This study assessed the role of otoacoustic emission screening for the early identification of noise-induced hearing loss in South African mineworkers. Transient otoacoustic emissions and distortion product otoacoustic emissions were recorded in 106 noise exposed mineworkers (212 ears) aged between 20 and 55 years, and in 17 non-exposed novice workers (34 ears) aged between 18 and 29 years. All subjects had normal hearing acuity, otoscopic examinations and immittance measurements. Four otoacoustic emission (OAE) measurements were taken per ear and repeated by a second audiologist for the evaluation of inter-test reliability. Age and number of years of noise exposure was additionally evaluated as well as the specificity and sensitivity of the tests for this population group. In general the OAEs were diminished at four KHz for both the exposed and non-exposed groups. Age was found to be the primary predictor of diminished OAE tracings. Poor inter-test reliability was obtained. These results indicate that further research is required within this population group before OAE testing can be implemented for screening for noise-induced hearing loss. / Dissertation (M (Communication Pathology))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology / Unrestricted

Background: Distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) are a promising screening technique for the early detection of subtle noise induced cochlear function changes. Objectives: To determine the applicability of DPOAEs as a health surveillance technique for the early detection of noise induced hearing loss (NIHL) in workers at a steel manufacturing industry. Methods: DPOAEs were recorded in 20 participants with no history of occupational noise exposure and 20 participants exposed to noise in the steel manufacturing industry. Participants were not exposed to noise for at least 48 hours prior to testing. All participants were male with normal audiometric thresholds of ?15 dB HL. The DPOAE presence and response amplitude levels for different frequencies were compared between the two groups. The study further evaluated the short-term test-retest repeatability of DPOAE measurements, and also compared the total test duration of performing DPOAEs to the duration of screening audiometry. Results: The noise exposed group had statistically significantly lower DPOAE response amplitudes than the control group for all the tested frequencies; (p&#0600.001) at 2002 to 4004 Hz, and (p=0.01, p=0.001) at 6348 and 7996 Hz respectively, suggesting more cochlear damage in the noise exposed group due to early outer hair cell damage. DPOAEs showed very good reproducibility, and the average duration of performing a set of DPOAEs was significantly shorter (461 ± 68.2 seconds) than the duration of performing audiometry (591 ± 76.9 seconds), p&#0600.001. Conclusion: DPOAEs appeared to be a sensitive technique in detecting noise induced subtle cochlear function changes. DPOAEs could be used as a health surveillance technique for the early detection of NIHL in the steel manufacturing industry. / Dissertation (M Communication Pathology)--University of Pretoria, 2016. / Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology / M Communication Pathology / Unrestricted

Hearing Health and Listening Habits of High School Students and Parent Perspectives in East Tennessee Nicole Richart, B.S., Marcy K Hite, Au.D., Ph.D., and Shannon Bramlette, Au.D., Department of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology, College of Clinical and Rehabilitative and Health Sciences, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN. Childhood noise induced hearing loss (NIHL) is a serious health concern with increasing prevalence. Previous studies have recommended including hearing conservation programs in schools, yet it is often missing from curriculum. Several studies have been conducted with high school students to determine listening habits and preconceived ideas of NIHL and hearing conservation, focusing on personal listening devices. Overall, those results suggest that most high school students are unaware of the dangers of noise exposure to auditory health, both in the short- and long term. The purpose of this study was to adapt previously developed surveys for use with East Tennessee high school students and their parents to identify sources of childhood noise exposure in addition to personal listening devices and to assess the level of hearing conservation education, if any, students have previously received. The results would also be used to determine if further hearing conservation education would be beneficial for this population. This study is unique in that both the student’s and the student’s parent’s perspectives were assessed. Students were asked to answer questions regarding types of noise exposure, duration of exposure, signs of early hearing loss, and use of hearing protection when in high noise exposure environments. The parent survey asked the parent of the child to assess these same areas as they believe their child experiences and/or behaves. Data would have been compared between the student and their parent’s responses to evaluate differences between student’s self-assessment and their parent’s assessment of their child’s listening habits and knowledge of hearing conservation. Data analysis would have been completed both within and between groups, looking for overall attitudes held within the student and parent populations as well as evaluating the differences between student and parent attitudes. It was expected that students would under-report their noise exposure per week, parents would over-report their child’s noise exposure, and both groups would report having little knowledge relating to hearing conservation. Overall, we would expect the results to show there is an increased need for hearing conservation education in schools. One East Tennessee high school agreed to participate, however after multiple reminders there were no surveys completed by students or parents, most likely due to COVID-19. Efforts to recruit other area schools to participate were unsuccessful. The necessity for this study still remains, and so continuation of recruitment and data collection would be ideal. Future efforts to improve recruitment outcomes could include scheduling an in-person or virtual meeting with high school administration to discuss the study to better facilitate participation. Additionally, the parent consent and survey distribution process could be streamlined to encourage a higher rate of participation in the study.

The study aimed to determine the relationship between the medial olivocochlear (MOC) efferent reflex strength and susceptibility to noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). This was evaluated by measuring the efferent suppression (ES) results from the contralateral suppression of Transient Evoked Otoacoustic Emissions (TEOAEs). It was predicted by several researchers that the strength of the MOC efferent reflex could determine the susceptibility to hearing loss (HL). The prediction was that an individual with a stronger MOC efferent reflex was less susceptible to developing a HL and an individual with a weaker MOC efferent reflex was more susceptible to developing a HL. The design used in the study was a categorical independent comparative design. The independent values used in the study were the results from the contralateral suppression of the TEOAEs and the thresholds obtained from each participant’s pure tone audiogram. A quantitative research approach was used as different numerical values were collected from each participant. The numerical results obtained for each participant were objectively compared between the two identified groups. Forty-one participants between the ages of 30 and 45 years, who had been exposed to noise levels between 89.3 dBA and 101.6 dBA at a Platinum mine in the North West Province, were used for the study. Twenty participants presented thresholds within normal limits of 0 to 15 dB and 21 participants presented with a permanent minimal NIHL with thresholds of 16 to 40 dB at 3000 Hz, 4000 Hz and 6000 Hz averaged. The data was analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) program version 25 (IBM Inc.). Non-parametric tests were used with the Mann-Whitney U test, where the ES of the two independent groups were compared. The results showed no statistically significant difference in the ES of the normal hearing participants compared to the participants with a minimal HL. However, participants with normal hearing presented, on average, with a slightly stronger ES than the participants with a minimal HL. The lowest p-values in this study were calculated at 2000 Hz and 4000 Hz, with a p-value of 0.085 at 4000 Hz for the age category 30 to 35 years and a p-value of 0.086 at 2000 Hz for the age category 41 to 45 years. This suggests that it could be possible that the MOC reflex strength may predict the degree of HL. It is recommended that more research be done on contralateral suppression of TEOAE measurements on participants who present with permanent NIHL to possibly use the MOC reflex to predict susceptibility to HL in clinical practice. / Dissertation (MCommunication Pathology (Audiology))--University of Pretoria, 2021. / Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology / MCommunication Pathology (Audiology) / Unrestricted

Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is one of the most common illnesses that is frequently reported in the occupational and military sectors. Hearing loss due to high noise exposure is a major health problem with economic consequences. Industrial and military noise exposures often contain high-level impulsive noise components. The presence of these impulsive noise components complicates the assessment of noise levels for hearing conservation purposes. The current noise guidelines use equal energy hypothesis (EEH) based metrics to evaluate the risk of hearing loss. A number of studies show that the current noise metrics often underestimates the risk of hearing loss in high-level complex noise environments. The overarching goal of this dissertation is to develop advance signal processing based methods for more accurate assessments of the risk of NIHL. For these assessments, various auditory filters that take into account the physiological characteristics of the ear are used. These filters will help to understand the complexity of the ear’s response to high-level complex noises.

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