Attitudes to noise in young adults and associated factors: adaptation of the youth attitude to noise scale into Spanish using item response theory analysis.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to identify the attitudes to noise in young adults and the possible effects of gender, age, and a positive history of auditory symptoms related to recreational noise exposure on the attitudes to noise in this population. DESIGN: The Youth Attitude to Noise (YANS) and the hearing symptom description (HSD) scales were adapted into Spanish to be used with young adults. The validity was determined using factor analyses and Item Response Theory (IRT) models. Linear regression models were used to determine whether the YANS scores were associated with gender, age, and auditory symptoms. STUDY SAMPLE: Both instruments were given to a sample of 728 Chilean young adults. Data obtained from this sample was used to determine the YANS and HSD scales' validity and to assess the effects of gender, age, and auditory symptoms on attitudes. RESULTS: Our results showed that the YANS and HSD scales had adequate validity and reliability. Differences in the items' capacity to discriminate attitudes to noise were noted using the IRT model. Auditory symptoms were significantly associated with the YANS scores. CONCLUSIONS: The attitudes to noise in Chilean young adults are influenced by self-perception of auditory symptoms, age, and gender.

Endolymphatic hydrops in the unaffected ear of patients with unilateral Ménière's disease.

PURPOSE: Current studies show that frequency tuning modification is a good marker for the detection of endolymphatic hydrops (EH) employing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in patients with Ménière's disease (MD). The purpose of the present study is to analyze the auditory and vestibular function with audiometric and vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials (VEMP) responses, respectively, in both the affected and unaffected ears of patients with unilateral MD using MRI as diagnostic support for the degree of EH. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 76 consecutive patients with unilateral definite MD (age 55 (28-75); 39 women, 37 men). MRI was used through intravenous gadolinium administration, audiometry, and VEMPs. Functional tests were performed up to a week after the MRI. All were followed up one year after imaging utilizing clinical, auditory, and vestibular testing to rule out bilateral involvement. RESULTS: In the unaffected ear, the mean pure-tone average is normal even in cases with hydrops and, for a similar severity of hydrops is significantly lower than in the affected ear. Significant differences for the amplitude of the response at 0.5 kHz, at 1 kHz between the affected and unaffected ears were found to be lower in the affected ears. The relative amplitude ratio (1 Kz-0.5 kHz) was significantly lower in the affected ear and in the case of the oVEMP response depends on the degree of EH. The response in the unaffected ear was not modified by the presence or the degree of hydrops. CONCLUSION: In the unaffected ear, hydrops is not associated with hearing deterioration. For a similar degree of hydrops, hearing loss is significantly greater in the affected ear. The endolymphatic hydrops in the vestibule induces a frequency bias in the VEMP response only in the affected ear and not in the unaffected ear. Because of these findings we consider that hydrops does not represent an active disorder in the unaffected ear.

A New and Faster Method to Assess Vestibular Compensation: A Cross-Sectional Study.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: Characterize the state of vestibular compensation of subjects diagnosed with acute unilateral vestibulopathy (AUV) of peripheral origin according to the temporal organization pattern of the refixation saccades (Perez and Rey (PR) score). STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cross-sectional study using previously collected clinical data from a tertiary referral center. METHODS: Following the vestibular compensation criteria defined by Eisenman, we used the video head impulse test as the main vestibular function test and compared the results with other traditional tests: rotatory chair test (ROT), caloric test, videonystagmography, clinical situation (CLIN), and the Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI) questionnaire from 28 subjects (17 men, 11 women), average age 60.21 years, who were in a compensated and noncompensated vestibular situation. We used the PR score to measure the differences between the study groups. A cluster was developed to define a cutoff point that objectively distinguishes the vestibular compensation status. RESULTS: Significant differences in the PR score were found in the state of vestibular compensation in the ROT test (P = .01), DHI (P = .04), and CLIN (P = .023). The vestibular compensation criteria that groups the original variables (PR-CLUSTER) cutoff point was 55 (P = .019). CONCLUSIONS: The PR score is a measure of temporal organization of the refixation saccades that enables us to distinguish clearly and objectively the vestibular situation of subjects with AUV. We suggest its clinical application. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: NA Laryngoscope, 2020.