Abstract
The WHO considers hearing loss to be a major global problem. A literature search was conducted to see whether high-frequency audiometry (HFA) could be used for the early detection of hearing loss. A further aim was to see whether any differences exist in the hearing threshold using conventional audiometry (CA) and HFA in workers of different age groups exposed to workplace noise. Our search of electronic databases yielded a total of 5938 scientific papers. The inclusion criteria were the keywords “high frequency” and “audiometry” appearing anywhere in the article and the participation of unexposed people or a group exposed to workplace noise. Fifteen studies met these conditions; the sample size varied (51–645 people), and the age range of the people studied was 5–90 years. Commercial high-frequency audiometers and high-frequency headphones were used. In populations unexposed to workplace noise, significantly higher thresholds of 14–16 kHz were found. In populations with exposure to workplace noise, significantly higher statistical thresholds were found for the exposed group (EG) compared with the control group (CG) at frequencies of 9–18 kHz, especially at 16 kHz. The studies also showed higher hearing thresholds of 10–16 kHz in respondents aged under 31 years following the use of personal listening devices (PLDs) for longer than 5 years. The effect of noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) first became apparent for HFA rather than CA. However, normative data have not yet been collected. Therefore, it is necessary to establish a uniform evaluation protocol accounting for age, sex, comorbidities and exposures, as well as for younger respondents using PLDs.
Highlights
The monitoring of hearing functions in the context of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health has revealed that hearing loss is a major global problem [1]
The results suggest that high-frequency audiometry (HFA) may be useful for the early diagnosis of noise-induced hearing loss, especially for younger groups of workers [22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30]
We found significant differences in the study methodologies used for HFA, mainly in terms of age group divisions
Summary
The monitoring of hearing functions in the context of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health has revealed that hearing loss is a major global problem [1]. The World Health Organization (WHO) speaks of hearing loss as an epidemic of the 21st century [2]. More than 1 billion young people (aged 12–35 years) are at risk of hearing loss due to recreational exposure to intense sound [3]. Hearing loss is an invisible and very stigmatizing chronic disease. In terms of severity, hearing loss is second only to mental disability. It is the most common and the most serious human sensory defect
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