PURPOSE: U.S. Army soldiers face unique noise exposures in the current deployed setting. The effects of these deployment-related exposures have not previously been documented. METHOD: In an attempt to initiate this process, medical evaluations performed at military audiology clinics from April 2003 through March 2004 were reviewed to compare noise-induced hearing loss injury (NIHLI) outcomes among soldiers whose diagnoses were classified as postdeployment-related versus non-postdeployment-related. Sentinel NIHLI outcomes of interest included acoustic trauma, permanent threshold shift, eardrum perforation, tinnitus, and military-specific H-3 and H-4 hearing loss profiles. RESULTS: Significantly higher rates of NIHLI and associated outcomes were observed among soldiers whose diagnoses were postdeployment-related. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the findings from this evaluation, recommendations are provided for enhancing the force health protection posture for prevention of hearing loss in future deployments.
PURPOSE: U.S. Army soldiers face unique noise exposures in the current deployed setting. The effects of these deployment-related exposures have not previously been documented. METHOD: In an attempt to initiate this process, medical evaluations performed at military audiology clinics from April 2003 through March 2004 were reviewed to compare noise-induced hearing loss injury (NIHLI) outcomes among soldiers whose diagnoses were classified as postdeployment-related versus non-postdeployment-related. Sentinel NIHLI outcomes of interest included acoustic trauma, permanent threshold shift, eardrum perforation, tinnitus, and military-specific H-3 and H-4 hearing loss profiles. RESULTS: Significantly higher rates of NIHLI and associated outcomes were observed among soldiers whose diagnoses were postdeployment-related. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the findings from this evaluation, recommendations are provided for enhancing the force health protection posture for prevention of hearing loss in future deployments.
Authors: Timothy S Wells; Amber D Seelig; Margaret A K Ryan; Jason M Jones; Tomoko I Hooper; Isabel G Jacobson; Edward J Boyko Journal: Noise Health Date: 2015 Jan-Feb Impact factor: 0.867
Authors: Sung-Il Cho; Simon S Gao; Anping Xia; Rosalie Wang; Felipe T Salles; Patrick D Raphael; Homer Abaya; Jacqueline Wachtel; Jongmin Baek; David Jacobs; Matthew N Rasband; John S Oghalai Journal: PLoS One Date: 2013-07-01 Impact factor: 3.240