Comparisons of hearing threshold changes in male workers with unilateral conductive hearing loss exposed to workplace noise: a retrospective cohort study for 8 years
Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
; : 51-2016.
Article
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| WPRIM
| ID: wpr-173899
Biblioteca responsable:
WPRO
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to investigate hearing threshold changes of workers with unilateral conductive hearing loss who were exposed to workplace noise for 8-years. METHODS: Among 1819 workers at a shipyard in Ulsan, 78 subjects with an air-bone gap ≥10 dBHL in unilateral ears were selected. Factors that could affect hearing were acquired from questionnaires, physical examinations, and biochemistry examinations. Paired t-test was conducted to compare the hearing threshold changes over time between conductive hearing loss (CHL) ear and sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) ear. RESULTS: The study included male subjects aged 48.7 ± 2.9, having worked for 29.8 ± 2.7 years. Hearing thresholds increased significantly in CHL ears and SNHL ears at all frequencies (0.5–6 kHz) during follow-up period (p < 0.05). The threshold change at 4 kHz was 3.2 dBHL higher in SNHL ears which was statistically significant (p < 0.05). When workers were exposed to noise levels of 85 dBA and above, threshold change at 4 kHz was 5.6 dBHL higher in SNHL ears which was statistically significant (p < 0.05). Among workers aged below 50, the threshold change values were lower in low-frequency (0.5–2 kHz) in SNHL ears, with a small range of changes, whereas in high-frequency (3–6 kHz), the range of changes was greater SNHL ears (p < 0.05). Among workers aged 50 and above, SNHL ears showed a wider range of changes in both high- and low-frequency areas (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: At high-frequencies, particularly at 4 kHz, the range of hearing threshold changes was lower in ears with conductive hearing loss than in contralateral ears. This is suggested as a protective effect against noise exposure.
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Índice:
WPRIM
Asunto principal:
Examen Físico
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Bioquímica
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Estudios Retrospectivos
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Estudios de Cohortes
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Estudios de Seguimiento
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Oído
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Audición
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Pérdida Auditiva Conductiva
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Pérdida Auditiva Provocada por Ruido
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Pérdida Auditiva Sensorineural
Tipo de estudio:
Etiology_studies
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Incidence_studies
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Observational_studies
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Prognostic_studies
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Risk_factors_studies
Límite:
Humans
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Male
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
Año:
2016
Tipo del documento:
Article