Perte auditive chez les marins pêcheurs français : étude rétrospective sur les données de 7500 audiogrammes

Abstract

IntroductionHigh noise exposure levels have been reported among seamen. Few studies have been conducted on hearing loss in the population of French sailors. MethodsWe extracted the demographic and audiometric data in French fishermen, performed in 2018 and 2019, during their regulatory visit to the seafarers’ health service. We carried out a univariate then multivariate analysis adjusted on the age, years at work and type of fishing (big and small fishing). Hearing loss was calculated by the average of the deficits at frequencies 1,2,3 and 4 KHz. ResultsData from 7428 audiometric tests could be included. In multivariate analysis, the risk factors for abnormal hearing loss were age >40 years [OR 8.8 (95 % CI 7.4-10.3)], seniority of more than 13 years in the occupation [OR 1.4 (95 % CI 1.2-1.6)] and conversely a significantly lower risk for seafarers working in deep-sea fishing [OR 0.7 (95 % CI 0.56-0.88)] and offshore fishing [OR 0.7 (95 % CI 0.6-0.8)]. ConclusionThe fishing activity in France remains at risk of hearing loss and more particularly small-scale fishing for which the working conditions (versatility, noisy fishing gear, age of the boats) lead to reflection on collective prevention by improving these ships.