Hearing Status in Young People Using Portable Audio Players

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the hearing status in young adults using portable audio players (PAPs) in relation to their listening habits.The study included 58 subjects, aged 22.8±2.8 years, non-occupationally exposed to noise. Questionnaire inquiry aimed at collecting personal data, the information on PAPs usage habits, self-assessment of hearing status and identification of risk factors for noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) were performed in study subjects. Hearing tests included pure-tone audiometry (PTA) and transient-evoked otoacoustic emission (TEOAE).All subjects were PAPs users. Depending on listening habits they were divided into the subgroups of "frequent" users (>1 h/day) and "non-frequent" users (≤1 h/day). There were no significant differences between subgroups in prevalence of NIHL risk factors and self-assessment of hearing status. However, frequent users more often complained of tinnitus and hyperacusis.Majority (81.9%) of participants had normal hearing. Nevertheless, 6.9% of audiograms showed highfrequency notches typical for NIHL. Both, the PTA and TEOAE indicated worse hearing in non-frequent users compared to frequent users. No significant differences in prevalence of high-frequency notches between subgroups were noted.The outcomes do not support some previous studies results that the excessive exposure to music listened through PAPs might result in accelerating of development of NIHL loss in young adults.

Prevalence of Hyperacusis in the General and Special Populations: A Scoping Review

“…Among the 42 included studies, 40 were prevalence studies. Two of the studies described the proportion of patients using the term "incidence" (15,16), but reviewed by two reviewers and a temporary reviewer, the original studies did not indicate that the patients were new cases. Therefore, we decided to add these 2 studies to our review as prevalence studies.…”

“…Some studies (n = 11) aimed at special occupation groups, for example, 10 studies about musicians and music students (11, 17, 21, 29-31, 37, 38, 42, 47), and 1 study about teachers (10). Some studies focus on patients with cognitive impairment (n = 7), such as patients with WS (7,15,25,26), autism (9,22), and Asperger's syndrome (AS) (36). In addition, some studies (n = 12) are specific to patients with other comorbidities [tinnitus (2,20,32,33,35,40,46), hearing disorders (HD) (10, 44), Bell 's palsy (24), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (45) and complex regional pain syndrome related dystonia (CRPS related dystonia) ( 28 2).…”

“…Only two studies used the same questions for diagnosis (4,6). The discomfort thresholds (LDL, UCL, intolerance sound level, etc) had been measured in 9 studies (2, 9, 20, 22, 24, 25, 27, 28, 33), of which 6 used lowered discomfort loudness as the diagnostic criteria (2,9,15,20,22,28). But only 2 presented the same discomfort loudness (80 dB HL) (9,22).…”

“…Four studies (7,15,25,26) have examined the prevalence of hyperacusis in patients with WS, with results ranging from 4.7% (15) to 95% (7). Seven studies (2,20,32,33,35,40,46) conducted hyperacusis research on patients with tinnitus, with the prevalence ranging from 12.8% (40) to 63% (20), and Aazh et al (2) found that 17% of patients with tinnitus had severe hyperacusis.…”

“…In the population with special diseases [WS (7,15,25,26), tinnitus (2,20,32,33,35,40,46), and autism (9,22)], the prevalence is mostly higher than in the general population. It is found that tinnitus patients are prone to hyperacusis, and there is a high probability of severe hyperacusis, which is consistent with the hypothesis that tinnitus and hyperacusis may both result from an increase of central gain (33).…”