Study shows effectiveness of earplugs in preventing temporary hearing loss after loud music

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-04/tjnj-sse040616.php

Public Release: 7-Apr-2016
Study shows effectiveness of earplugs in preventing temporary hearing loss after loud music
The JAMA Network Journals

In a study published online by JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Wilko Grolman, M.D., Ph.D., of the University Medical Center Utrecht, the Netherlands, and colleagues assessed the effectiveness of earplugs in preventing temporary hearing loss immediately following music exposure.

The prevalence of acquired hearing loss has risen in past years. The U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey found that the prevalence of adolescents with hearing loss has increased by 31 percent in the 2 decades since 1988. An explanation for this trend is the increase in exposure to recreational noise, such as visiting music venues (concerts, festivals, and nightclubs). Attendees of these recreational activities can be exposed to loud music with sound pressure levels of approximately 100 to 110 dBA for several hours. This exposure is known to cause hearing loss. However, in most cases, noise exposure causes temporary hearing loss.

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The authors found that the proportion of participants with a TTS (temporary threshold shift; a measure of hearing loss) following sound exposure was only 8 percent in the earplug group compared with 42 percent in the unprotected group. In addition, a lower percentage of participants had tinnitus following sound exposure in the earplug group (12 percent vs 40 percent in the unprotected group).