PURPOSE: To evaluate noise-induced hearing injury (NIHI) and blast-related comorbidities among U.S. Army soldiers in an effort to understand the morbidity burden and future health service requirements for wounded war fighters returning from the Central Command Area of Responsibility, predominantly from Iraq and Afghanistan deployments. METHOD: Inpatient and outpatient records with diagnosed NIHI or blast-related comorbidities (e.g., significant threshold shift [STS], noise-induced hearing loss, tinnitus, sensorineural hearing loss, eardrum perforations, mild traumatic brain injury, and posttraumatic stress disorder) were extracted for active duty soldiers returning from combat deployments. Records were limited to those within 6 months of the soldier's return date from April 2003 through June 2009. To account for changes in STS coding practice, STS rates observed after October 1, 2006, were used to extrapolate prior probable postdeployment STS. RESULTS: Statistically significant increases were observed for tinnitus, dizziness, eardrum perforations, and speech-language disorders. The combination of observed and extrapolated STS yielded a conservative estimate of 27,427 cases. CONCLUSIONS: Estimates can be used to forecast resource requirements for hearing services among veterans. This article could serve as a guide for resourcing and innovating prevention measures and treatment in this population. Data provided may also serve as a baseline for evaluating prevention measures.
PURPOSE: To evaluate noise-induced hearing injury (NIHI) and blast-related comorbidities among U.S. Army soldiers in an effort to understand the morbidity burden and future health service requirements for wounded war fighters returning from the Central Command Area of Responsibility, predominantly from Iraq and Afghanistan deployments. METHOD: Inpatient and outpatient records with diagnosed NIHI or blast-related comorbidities (e.g., significant threshold shift [STS], noise-induced hearing loss, tinnitus, sensorineural hearing loss, eardrum perforations, mild traumatic brain injury, and posttraumatic stress disorder) were extracted for active duty soldiers returning from combat deployments. Records were limited to those within 6 months of the soldier's return date from April 2003 through June 2009. To account for changes in STS coding practice, STS rates observed after October 1, 2006, were used to extrapolate prior probable postdeployment STS. RESULTS: Statistically significant increases were observed for tinnitus, dizziness, eardrum perforations, and speech-language disorders. The combination of observed and extrapolated STS yielded a conservative estimate of 27,427 cases. CONCLUSIONS: Estimates can be used to forecast resource requirements for hearing services among veterans. This article could serve as a guide for resourcing and innovating prevention measures and treatment in this population. Data provided may also serve as a baseline for evaluating prevention measures.
Authors: Yu-Chen Chen; Guang-Di Chen; Benjamin D Auerbach; Senthilvelan Manohar; Kelly Radziwon; Richard Salvi Journal: Hear Res Date: 2017-03-07 Impact factor: 3.208
Authors: Sharon P Cooper; Hasanat Alamgir; Kristina W Whitworth; Natasha S Gorrell; Jose A Betancourt; John E Cornell; George Delclos; David I Douphrate; David Gimeno; Dritana Marko; Sun-Young Kim; Hari R Sagiraju; David L Tucker; Lawrence W Whitehead; Nicole J Wong; Tanisha L Hammill; Andrew J Senchak; Mark D Packer Journal: Mil Med Date: 2014-12 Impact factor: 1.437
Authors: Austin Prewitt; Graham Harker; Tess A Gilbert; Elizabeth Hooker; Maya E O'Neil; Kelly M Reavis; James A Henry; Kathleen F Carlson Journal: Mil Med Date: 2021-01-25 Impact factor: 1.437
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