Identifying Health-Related Conditions Associated with Tinnitus in Young Adults.

OBJECTIVE: The present study investigated the epidemic of tinnitus in college-aged young adults. Our first objective was to identify health conditions associated with tinnitus in young adults. The second objective was to evaluate the predictive utility of some known risk factors. STUDY DESIGN: A cross-sectional design was used to investigate the prevalence and risk factors for tinnitus. SETTING: A questionnaire was distributed, reaching out to a large college-aged population. A total of 2258 young adults aged 18-30 years were recruited from April 2021 to February 2022. INTERVENTIONS: A questionnaire was administered to investigate the epidemiology of tinnitus in a population of college-aged young adults. RESULTS: About 17.7% of young adults reported bothersome tinnitus perception lasting for ≥5 min in the last 12 months. The prevalence of chronic tinnitus (bothersome tinnitus for ≥1 year) and acute tinnitus (bothersome tinnitus for <1 year) was 10.6% and 7.1%, respectively. About 19% of the study sample reported at least one health condition. Individuals reporting head injury, hypertension, heart disease, scarlet fever, and malaria showed significantly higher odds of reporting chronic tinnitus. Meningitis and self-reported hearing loss showed significant associations with bothersome tinnitus. The prevalence of chronic tinnitus was significantly higher in males reporting high noise exposure, a positive history of reoccurring ear infections, European ethnic background, and a positive health history. Risk modeling showed that noise exposure was the most important risk factor for chronic tinnitus, followed by sex, reoccurring ear infections, and a history of any health condition. A positive history of COVID-19 and self-reported severity showed no association with tinnitus. Individuals reporting reoccurring ear infections showed a significantly higher prevalence of COVID-19. CONCLUSIONS: While young adults with health conditions are at a higher risk of reporting tinnitus, the predictive utility of a positive health history remains relatively low, possibly due to weak associations between health conditions and tinnitus. Noise, male sex, reoccurring ear infections, European ethnicity, and a positive health history revealed higher odds of reporting chronic tinnitus than their counterparts. These risk factors collectively explained about 16% variability in chronic tinnitus, which highlights the need for identifying other risk factors for chronic tinnitus in young adults.

The portrayal of hearing loss information in online Mandarin videos.

Background/purpose: With increasing accessibility to the Internet, patients frequently use the Internet for hearing healthcare information. No study has examined the information about hearing loss available in the Mandarin language on online video-sharing platforms. The study's primary purpose is to investigate the content, source, understandability, and actionability of hearing loss information in the Mandarin language's one hundred most popular online videos. Method: In this project, publicly accessible online videos were analyzed. One hundred of the most popular Mandarin-language videos about hearing loss were identified (51 videos on YouTube and 49 on the Bilibili video-sharing platform). They were manually coded for different popularity metrics, sources, and content. Each video was also rated using the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool for Audiovisual Materials (PEMAT-AV) to measure the understandability and actionability scores. Results: The video sources were classified as either media (n = 36), professional (n = 39), or consumer (n = 25). The videos covered various topics, including symptoms, consequences, and treatment of hearing loss. Overall, videos attained adequate understandability scores (mean = 73.6%) but low (mean = 43.4%) actionability scores. Conclusions: While existing online content related to hearing loss is quite diverse and largely understandable, those videos provide limited actionable information. Hearing healthcare professionals, media, and content creators can help patients better understand their conditions and make educated hearing healthcare decisions by focusing on the actionability information in their online videos.

Auditory Electrophysiological and Perceptual Measures in Student Musicians with High Sound Exposure.

This study aimed to determine (a) the influence of noise exposure background (NEB) on the peripheral and central auditory system functioning and (b) the influence of NEB on speech recognition in noise abilities in student musicians. Twenty non-musician students with self-reported low NEB and 18 student musicians with self-reported high NEB completed a battery of tests that consisted of physiological measures, including auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) at three different stimulus rates (11.3 Hz, 51.3 Hz, and 81.3 Hz), and P300, and behavioral measures including conventional and extended high-frequency audiometry, consonant-vowel nucleus-consonant (CNC) word test and AzBio sentence test for assessing speech perception in noise abilities at -9, -6, -3, 0, and +3 dB signal to noise ratios (SNRs). The NEB was negatively associated with performance on the CNC test at all five SNRs. A negative association was found between NEB and performance on the AzBio test at 0 dB SNR. No effect of NEB was found on the amplitude and latency of P300 and the ABR wave I amplitude. More investigations of larger datasets with different NEB and longitudinal measurements are needed to investigate the influence of NEB on word recognition in noise and to understand the specific cognitive processes contributing to the impact of NEB on word recognition in noise.

University Marching Band Members' Noise Dosages and Hearing Health-Related Knowledge.

OBJECTIVES: (1) To measure sound exposures of marching band and non-marching band students during a football game, (2) to compare these to sound level dose limits set by NIOSH, and (3) to assess the perceptions of marching band students about their hearing health risk from loud sound exposure and their use of hearing protection devices (HPDs). METHODS: Personal noise dosimetry was completed on six marching band members and the band director during rehearsals and performances. Dosimetry measurements for two audience members were collected during the performances. Noise dose values were calculated using NIOSH criteria. One hundred twenty-three marching band members responded to a questionnaire analyzing perceptions of loud music exposure, the associated hearing health risks, and preventive behavior. RESULTS: Noise dose values exceeded the NIOSH recommended limits among all six marching band members during rehearsals and performances. Higher sound levels were recorded during performances compared to rehearsals. The audience members were not exposed to hazardous levels. Most marching band members reported low concern for health effects from high sound exposure and minimal use of HPDs. CONCLUSION: High sound exposure and low concern regarding hearing health among marching band members reflect the need for comprehensive hearing conservation programs for this population.

Evaluation of cochlear activity in normal-hearing musicians.

OBJECTIVE: The present study compared wave I amplitude of auditory brainstem responses (ABRs), a potential indicator of cochlear synaptopathy, among musicians and non-musicians with normal audiograms. DESIGN: Noise exposure background (NEB) was evaluated using an online questionnaire. Two-channel ABRs were recorded from the left ear using click stimuli. One channel utilized an ipsilateral tiptrode, and another channel utilized an ipsilateral mastoid electrode. ABRs were collected at 90, 75, and 60 dBnHL. A mixed model was used to analyze the effect of group, electrodes, and stimulus levels on ABR wave I amplitude. STUDY SAMPLE: 75 collegiate students with normal hearing participated in the study and were grouped into a non-music major group (n = 25), a brass major group (n = 25), and a voice major group (n = 25). RESULTS: The NEB was negatively associated with the action potential (AP) and ABR wave I amplitude for click intensity levels at 75 dBnHL. The mean amplitude of the ABR wave I was not significantly different between the three groups. CONCLUSION: The weak negative association of AP and ABR wave I amplitude with NEB cannot be solely attributed to evidence of cochlear synaptopathy in humans as the possibility of hair cell damage cannot be ruled out. Future research should investigate the effects of reduced cochlear output on the supra-threshold speech processing abilities of student musicians.

A Review of the Role of Auditory Evoked Potentials in Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Assessment.

Around 75% to 90% of people who experience a traumatic brain injury (TBI) are classified as having a mild TBI (mTBI). The term mTBI is synonymous with concussion or mild head injury (MHI) and is characterized by symptoms of headache, nausea, dizziness, and blurred vision. Problems in cognitive abilities such as deficits in memory, processing speed, executive functioning, and attention are also considered symptoms of mTBI. Since these symptoms are subtle in nature and may not appear immediately following the injury, mTBI is often undetected on conventional neuropsychological tests. Current neuroimaging techniques may not be sensitive enough in identifying the array of microscopic neuroanatomical and subtle neurophysiological changes following mTBI. To this end, electrophysiological tests, such as auditory evoked potentials (AEPs), can be used as sensitive tools in tracking physiological changes underlying physical and cognitive symptoms associated with mTBI. The purpose of this review article is to examine the body of literature describing the application of AEPs in the assessment of mTBI and to explore various parameters of AEPs which may hold diagnostic value in predicting positive rehabilitative outcomes for people with mTBI.