Hearing evaluation in mobile phone users at a tertiary care hospital

Abstract

Introduction: Mobile phone usage is over 5.6 billion worldwide. India holds second position with about 885 million users, that is, 74% of Indian population (November 2011). The advanced mobiles with the fancy multipurpose gadgets make mobiles a part of us. Chronic exposure to sound of more than 90 dB can result in permanent hearing loss. Mobile phone may not produce a sound as loud in a fraction, but there is possibility of sound exposure for a long-term. Materials and Methods: Hundred subjects were selected randomly from students of a medical college, based upon criteria of the preliminary questionnaire and subjected to clinical examination, to rule out other possible causes of hearing loss and categorized into two groups. (Group 1: Users for <2 h/day and Group 2: Users for >2 h/day). The following noninvasive procedures were done to assess the hearing status: Pure tone audiometry (PTA), distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAE), and brainstem evoked response audiometry (BERA). Results: A variable degree of hearing loss has been found in the mobile phone users in DPOAE and BERA. Further, on gross comparison individuals of Group 1 (<2 h/day) and Group 2 (>2 h/day), loss was found in both; but the proportion is noted to be more in Group 2. Conclusion: Here, most of the study population (73%) was found to use mobile phone at least for 30 min or more for every call and they were assessed having a hearing loss (mild/asymptomatic). Thus, intensity of hearing loss is found to be directly proportional to the duration of usage and sound exposure of more than that regulated as safe.