Does Scuba Diving Cause Hearing Loss?

Hizel, Selda; Muluk, Nuray Bayar; Budak, Bilgehan; Budak, Gürer G.

doi:10.2310/7010.2007.0038

Cited by 5 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 1 publication

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…A large number of studies attest to the fact that some subpopulations of divers develop hearing loss [1][2][3][4]8], while others do not [5,6,[9][10][11]. Assuming an equal variation in individual susceptibility within each subpopulation, an explanation for the differences could be that hearing loss is in fact caused not by diving per se, but by other factors that differ between the subpopulations, such as exposure to noise and acute injuries.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There was a reduction in transient otoacoustic emissions but, as the authors acknowledged, otoacoustic emissions may be affected by small changes in middle ear function, for example due to edema, middle ear effusions or water droplets, and a change that occurs shortly after intensive diving is not necessarily of clinical consequence in the long term. Studies comparing experienced recreational scuba divers to non-divers have not found differences in hearing [9][10][11].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Others have found more moderate differences when comparing divers to controls [5][6][7][8]. Some studies, particularly of recreational divers, have not demonstrated any difference at all between divers and the general population [9][10][11]. A possible explanation for this discrepancy is that hearing loss is caused not by diving per se, but by other factors that vary between different subpopulations of divers.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 93%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Hearing loss in divers: a 6-year prospective study

Goplen

Aasen

Grønning

et al. 2011

Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Occupational diving is associated with hearing loss, but the cause is disputed. Our aim was to follow a cohort of divers through the first 6 years of their career in order to look for evidence of permanent threshold shift associated with diving activity, occupational noise exposure or acute injuries. Hearing was measured by pure tone audiometry in 67 participants at a basic course for working divers. Hearing thresholds were adjusted for age (ISO 7029). The subjects were examined and interviewed by an otologist. Additional medical and exposure data were recorded in questionnaires and personal logbooks. The procedure was repeated after 3 and 6 years. None of the subjects suffered inner ear barotrauma or inner ear decompression sickness during follow-up. Middle ear barotrauma was common. The prevalence of subjective hearing difficulties increased during follow-up, and there was a significant threshold shift at 4 kHz (mean 2.6 dB, 95% confidence interval 0.9-4.3 dB). Both subjective and objective hearing loss was associated with occupational noise exposure, but not with diving frequency or with a history of middle ear barotrauma. In the absence of manifest inner ear barotrauma or inner ear decompression sickness, noise seems to be the most important cause of long-term hearing loss in occupational divers. This study did not find evidence of long-term hearing loss caused by uneventful diving per se.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 93%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Hearing loss in divers: a 6-year prospective study

Goplen

Aasen

Grønning

et al. 2011

Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Due to noise being the most correlated factor for these hearing impairments, the studies were unable to provide a reliable representation of hearing diving-induced damage [31]. A cohort study by Hizel et al [32] investigated hearing thresholds of recreational divers in comparison to controls. This study found no significant difference between groups using audiometry and otoacoustic emissions, although it was difficult to evaluate fully due to lacking hearing tests before commencing their diving careers.…”

Section: Sensorineural Hearing Lossmentioning

confidence: 99%

Auditory Complaints in Scuba Divers: an Overview

Evens

Bardsley

Manchaiah

2011

Indian J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Pre-1970s, diving was seen as a predominantly male working occupation. Since then it has become a popular hobby, with increasing access to SCUBA diving while on holiday. For a leisure activity, diving puts the auditory system at the risk of a wide variety of complaints. However, there is still insufficient consensus on the frequency of these conditions, which ultimately would require more attention from hearing-healthcare professionals. A literature search of epidemiology studies of eight auditory complaints was conducted, using both individual and large-scale diving studies, with some reference to large-scale non-diving populations . A higher incidence was found for middle ear barotrauma, eustachian tube dysfunction, and alternobaric vertigo with a high correlation among females. Comparing these findings with a non-diving population found no statistically significant difference for hearing loss or tinnitus. Increased awareness of health professionals is required, training, and implementation of the Frenzel technique would help resolve the ambiguities of the Valsalva technique underwater.

show abstract

“…Eus-tachian tube dysfunction causes negative pressure in the middle ear which leads to retraction of the tympanic membrane. a Normal physiological middle ear, b flight/diving, c Eustachian tube dysfunction loss and vertigo [58]. Peri-lymphatic fistula are caused by rapid pressure changes in endolymphatic pressure or perilymphatic pressure.…”

Section: Divingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Management of tympanic membrane retractions: a systematic review

Bayoumy

Veugen

Veen

et al. 2021

Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Importance Tympanic membrane retraction (TMR) is a relatively common otological finding. However, no consensus on its management exists. We are looking especially for a treatment strategy in the military population who are unable to attend frequent follow-up visits, and who experience relatively more barotrauma at great heights and depths and easily suffer from otitis externa from less hygienic circumstances. Objective To assess and summarize the available evidence for the effectiveness of surgical interventions and watchful waiting policy in patients with a tympanic membrane retraction. Evidence review The protocol for this systematic review was published at Prospero (207859). PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews were systematically searched from inception up to September 2020 for published and unpublished studies. We included randomized trials and observational studies that investigated surgical interventions (tympanoplasty, ventilation tube insertion) and wait-and-see policy. The primary outcomes of this study were clinical remission of the tympanic membrane retraction, tympanic membrane perforations and cholesteatoma development. Findings In total, 27 studies were included, consisting of 1566 patients with TMRs. We included data from 2 randomized controlled trials (76 patients) and 25 observational studies (1490 patients). Seven studies (329 patients) investigated excision of the TMR with and without ventilation tube placement, 3 studies (207 patients) investigated the wait-and-see policy and 17 studies (1030 patients) investigated tympanoplasty for the treatment of TMRs. Conclusions and relevance This study provides all the studies that have been published on the surgical management and wait-and-policy for tympanic membrane retractions. No high level of evidence comparative studies has been performed. The evidence for the management of tympanic membrane retractions is heterogenous and depends on many factors such as the patient population, location and severity of the TMR and presence of other ear pathologies (e.g., perforation, risk of cholesteatoma and serous otitis media).

show abstract

Does Scuba Diving Cause Hearing Loss?

Abstract: Objectives:The aim of this prospective study was to investigate the hearing ievels and transient evoi Show more

Cited by 5 publications

References 1 publication

Hearing loss in divers: a 6-year prospective study

Hearing loss in divers: a 6-year prospective study

Auditory Complaints in Scuba Divers: an Overview

Management of tympanic membrane retractions: a systematic review

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About