Hearing Loss, Tinnitus, Hyperacusis, and Diplacusis in Professional Musicians: A Systematic Review

Arianna Di Stadio,Antonio Greco,Marco de Vincentiis,Giampietro Ricci,Antonio Minni,Laura Dipietro,Massimo Ralli,Antonio Della Volpe

doi:10.3390/ijerph15102120

Abstract

Professional musicians (PMs) are at high risk of developing hearing loss (HL) and other audiological symptoms such as tinnitus, hyperacusis, and diplacusis. The aim of this systematic review is to (A) assess the risk of developing HL and audiological symptoms in PMs and (B) evaluate if different music genres (Pop/Rock Music—PR; Classical Music—CL) expose PMs to different levels of risk of developing such conditions. Forty-one articles including 4618 PMs were included in the study. HL was found in 38.6% PMs; prevalence was significantly higher among PR (63.5%) than CL (32.8%) PMs; HL mainly affected the high frequencies in the 3000-6000 Hz range and was symmetric in 68% PR PMs and in 44.5% CL PMs. Tinnitus was the most common audiological symptom, followed by hyperacusis and diplacusis. Tinnitus was almost equally distributed between PR and CL PMs; diplacusis was more common in CL than in PR PMs, while prevalence of hyperacusis was higher among PR PMs. Our review showed that PR musicians have a higher risk of developing HL compared to CL PMs; exposure to sounds of high frequency and intensity and absence of ear protection may justify these results. Difference in HL symmetry could be explained by the type of instruments used and consequent single-sided exposure.

Highlights

Hearing loss (HL) can follow exposure to loud sounds; noise-induced HL is the second most common cause of HL, and accounts for about 16% of disabling HL in the adult population worldwide [1,2]
Our systematic review of the literature showed that (A) 38.6% of professional musicians (PMs) have some degree of HL; (B) PR PMs are at higher risk of developing HL than CL PMs; (C) the most affected frequencies in PMs are in the 3000–6000 Hz range; (D) CL PMs suffer from asymmetric HL significantly more than PR
Our systematic review showed that HL is common in PMs, and PR PMs are at higher risk of developing HL compared to CL PMs

Summary

Introduction

Hearing loss (HL) can follow exposure to loud sounds; noise-induced HL is the second most common cause of HL, and accounts for about 16% of disabling HL in the adult population worldwide [1,2]. HL can follow work-related and recreational noise exposure [6,7,8,9,10] with significant impact on quality of life [11,12]. Tinnitus, defined as the perception of sound without an external auditory stimulus, is a condition affecting 10–25% of the adult population, with moderate-to-severe consequences on daily activities and quality of life [13,14]. Risk factors for tinnitus include hearing loss, exposure to loud sounds, Int. J. Public Health 2018, 15, 2120; doi:10.3390/ijerph15102120 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph

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