This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Sign in
Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages without signing in

Noise damage

Authoring team

  • noise trauma is the most common preventable cause of sensorineural hearing loss (1)
  • the noise source may be (1)
    • occupational
      • prolonged industrial exposure
    • recreational
      • loud music
    • accidental
      • blast injury
      • gunfire
  • oocupational noise damage may be : (2)
    • occupational acoustic trauma
      • is a sudden change in hearing
      • is caused by a single exposure to a sudden loud sound
        • e.g. explosion
    • occupational noise-induced hearing loss
      • develops gradually over a long period of time
      • is caused by exposure to continuous or intermittent loud sound
  • characteristics of occupational noise-induced hearing loss: (2)
    • always sensorineural
    • often accompanied by high-pitched tinnitus (1)
    • affects hair cellsof the inner ear
    • typically bilateral
    • high frequencies are affected first (1)
    • earliest change noticed on audiogram is
      • “notching” at 3000, 4000, or 6000 Hz, with recovery at 8000 Hz
      • precise location of the notch depends on:
        • the frequency of the damaging noise
        • the length of the ear canal (2)
    • rate of hearing loss
      • is highest during the first 10-15 years of exposure
      • reduces as the hearing threshold increases
        • but, age-related loss, accelerates over time
    • loss of hearing is not reversible
    • diagnosis
      • clinical
      • based on the history of noise exposure
  • treatment
    • the condition cannot be treated - damaged hair cells do not recover
    • early detection is vital to improve prevention (2)
    • a 10 dB threshold shift from baseline in pure tone average at 2000, 3000, and 4000 Hz is an significant early sign of permanent hearing loss
  • prevention (1)
    • needs aggressive use of noise protection
    • foam-insert earplugs
      • decreases noise exposure by 30 dB
  • medico-legal
    • noise damage is an acknowledged industrial disease
    • can be compensated for under the 1975 Industrial Injuries Act in the UK
    • there is an exposure limit in industry of 90dB for an 8 hour shift

Reference:

(1) differential diagnosis and treatment of hearing loss, Jon E. Isaacson, American Family Physician

(2) noise-induced hearing loss, Copyright ©  American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine

Related pages

Create an account to add page annotations

Create a free account

Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.