[Current aspects of harmonization of classification of occupational hearing loss].

The objective of the present work was to develop unified criteria for the evaluation of the severity of noise-induced hearing loss. Current approaches to taking expert decisions based on the results of medical examination of the patients with impaired hearing are substantially different due to the considerable difference between the criteria for the estimation of hearing envisaged by the international classification, occupational pathology classification, and the national system of medico-social expertise. We undertook an attempt to correct and harmonize the existing criteria for the estimation of severity of occupational hearing loss based on the integration of all the three classification in order to "reduce them to a common denominator" and thereby to ensure the basis for the unified diagnostic and expert decisions for the cases of hearing impairment of any etiology. The project proposed in this paper makes it possible to use unified criteria for the assessment of the degree of hearing loss caused by occupational noises for diagnostic purposes and expertise compatible with the internationally accepted approaches.

[Peculiarities of the development of occupational deafness in the workers of "noisy" professions employed in experimental mechanical engineering].

The objective of this work was to evaluate the health status and hearing function in the workers employed in experimental mechanical engineering and exposed to the combined effect of noise and occupational psychoemotional stress. The authors describe specific clinico-audiological characteristics of hearing disturbances diagnosed with the help up-to-date highly informative and objective methods for the evaluation of the function of acoustic analyzer, such as impedancometry, threshold tonal high-frequency audiometry, registration of distortion product otoacoustic emission. Criteria for the early diagnosis of neurosensory loss of hearing of <

[The risk of occupational neurosensory loss of hearing in the workers employed in coal and ore mining industries].

This clinico-audiological study included 983 workers engaged in coal and ore mining exposed to combined effect of occupational noise and vibration. Pathogenetic mechanisms underlying the development of occupational deafness were shown to depend on intensity and duration of the action of these factors. Impedancometry was used to evaluate the functional state of the middle ear and to study protective and adaptive potential of ear muscles. Criteria are proposed for the identification of groups of workers at risk of development of occupational deafness. The relationship between individual features of cerebral hemodynamics and the functional state of the middle ear is established.

[Topical problems of occupational deafness].

The article covers up-to-date state of occupational deafness problem, its importance in occupational therapy. The authors defined topical directions of research in contemporary diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of "noise-related" deafness.