For years, we've known that about 60% of our patients are men. We've come up with a few theories for this, but recently, we discovered a study that confirms one of them: men are more likely to experience noise-induced hearing loss.
In the first study of the demographics of noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL), researchers found men are 2.5 times more likely to lose their hearing due to noise than women. Over 5,000 participants between 20 and 69 years of age were analyzed with audiometric testing. More than 13 percent suffered from NIHL. Especially white married men are significantly more at risk than women concludes the report which was presented at the 2009 American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF) Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO
NIHL is a preventable and increasingly prevalent disorder that results from exposure to high-intensity sound, especially over a long period of time. Researchers hope this study will put more focus on education and prevention and lead to increased screenings for the common problem.
The authors believe this is the first study of its kind to delve in to the demographics of NIHL using the most recent figures from 1999-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES). They believe this information can allow greater education, preventative, and screening efforts.
Source: Ivanhoe Broadcast News and redOrbit
