Frequent Cell Phone Users have Sensorineural Hearing Loss: An Observational Study

Abstract

Background: Mobile phone use is prevalent, and there have been concerns raised about its long-term safety. Electromagnetic fields from mobile devices can enter the brain and deposit energy as deep as 4-6 cm into the brain, heating the tissue. Methods: A prospective cross-sectional study carried out at General Hospital, Rangamati during the period from January 2022 to January 2023. The study population includes patients who visit the ENT department at General Hospital, Rangamati and have used mobile phones for three years or more. Participants who were uninterested in the study, respondents with a history of ear disease, respondents with a history of loud noise exposure, or students who used headphones for entertainment reasons for more than 1 hour per day were also excluded. Results: The majority of participants (42.47%) had been exposed to mobile phone use for 4-5 years, whereas 26 (42.47%) had been exposed for 3 years and 16 (21.92%) for >5 years. Nearly three-fourths (31.51%) of the subjects had exposure to mobile phones for two to three hours each day, whereas 12 (16.44%) of the patients had more than three hours. For the right and left ears, respectively, pure tone averages of 13.695.64 dB and 14.375.49 dB were discovered. 5 dB loss was observed in 25.0%, 10 dB loss in 12.5%, and 15 dB loss in 12.5% of participants who used mobile phones for more than three hours each day. Conclusion: The OAE results of all respondents were normal. We also discovered that none of the participants in our study experienced significant hearing loss (greater than 25 dB). As the young population gets increasingly attached to this expensive multipurpose device, mobile phones may become a risk issue in the near future.