Avaliação da perda auditiva induzida por ruído em músicos de Tubarão-SC / Evaluation of noise-induced hearing loss in musicians from Tubarão-SC

Introdução: A perda auditiva induzida por ruído (PAIR) é considerada como uma das doenças ocupacionaismais prevalentes no mundo. Ela atinge profissionais de diversas áreas da sociedade, inclusive os músicos, que acabam sendo submetidos a elevados níveis de pressão sonora em ambientes de apresentação ou mesmo em seus ensaios. Objetivo: É determinar a prevalência de perda auditivainduzida por ruído em músicos que atuam na cidade de Tubarão (SC), assim como, determinar os principais fatores de risco e os sintomas associados a essaperda auditiva. Material e Métodos: Estudo observacional, descritivo, com delineamento transversal com 21 músicos entre 18 a 59 anos de idade, de diversos estilos musicais, que atuam em bandas na cidade de Tubarão (SC). Assim, entre agosto e outubro de 2007, foram realizados contatos com os músicos e aplicado um questionário.Após, os profissionais foram encaminhados ao consultório com horário agendado sendo realizado otoscopia e audiometria. Resultados: A prevalência de PAIR foi de 42,9%.Com um predomínio quase absoluto do gênero masculino, 95,2% profissionais. A média de idade foi de 29 anos,variando de 21 a 47 anos. Os sintomas auditivos mais freqüentes foram o zumbido (52,4%), a plenitude auricular(38,1%), a dificuldade de compreensão da fala (28,6%) e a tontura (23,8%).Conclusões: A prevalência de PAIR foi de 42,9%. A perda auditiva foi predominante em fatores como idadee tempo de exposição a sons de alta pressão sonora. É necessário a implementação de programas de prevenção e conservação auditiva entre os músicos de Tubarão -SC.

Introduction: Noise-induced hearing loss is considered as a common sick in the world. It gets professionals of different areas, including the musicians, who areexposed to high sound pressure levels in shows or during their practice. Aim: To determine the prevalence of cases suggestive of noise-induced hearing loss in musicians from Tubarão (SC), South Brazil and to point out the main riskfactors and the symptoms of hearing loss. Materials and Methods: Observational, descriptive, and transversal study with 21 musicians between 18 and 47 years old, of different music style, that played inTubarão (SC). So, among August and October of 2007 it was done a questionnaire with the musicians. After,they were sent to clinical to do otoscopy and audiometry. Results: The prevalence of hearing loss was of 42,9%. During the study period, we had 21 musicians,being 20 men (95,2%). The mean age was 29 years old, ranging from 21 to 47 years old. The more frequent hearingsymptoms were tinnitus (52,4%), aural fullness (38,1%), difficulty in speech understanding (28,6%), and dizziness (23,8%). Conclusions: The hearing loss noise-induced was 42,9%. Hearing loss was higher in factors like age andexposition time to noise with high sound pressure. It is necessary to implement prevention and conservation hearing programs among the musicians from Tubarão - SC.

Mismatch negativity in auditory neuropathy patients

Mismatch negativity [MMN] is a negative component in the auditory event-related potential. There has been increased interest in using the MMN as a clinical diagnostic tool because it might provide an objective neural measure of auditory discriminability. Auditory neuropathy [AN] is characterized by a paradoxical absence of auditory brainstem evoked potentials with presence of otoacoustic emissions, in patients whose pure-tone thresholds were slightly elevated. The present study was designed to investigate the detectability of MMN in cochlear hearing loss and AN patients and to test the effectiveness of MMN as an indicator of auditory discrimination at cortical level, particularly in patients with AN, if any. This study consisted of sixty subjects divided into three groups: [Group 1] 20 AN patients, [group 2] 20 patients with bilateral moderate SNHL of cochlear origin and [group 3] 20 normal peripheral hearing subjects. All participants were submitted to: full medical history, otoscopy, basic audiological evaluation. TEOAEs, ABR for neuro otologic diagnosis and MMN testing. The results of the present study demonstrated that SNHL had a significant impact on the timing of the brain processes involved in the detection and discrimination of stimuli. Moreover, no significant differences were found between AN patients and patients with cochlear hearing loss as far as MMN latencies

Pulsatile tinnitus: Audiologic and MR imaging diagnostic lssues

Pulsatile tinnitus often presents a diagnostic and management dilemma to the neurologist. Correct diagnosis is imperative because in the majority of cases, there is a treatable underlying etiology. In addition, failure to make proper diagnosis may be disastrous because in some patients, a life-threatening intracranial disease may be present. This study was carried out aiming to investigating the feasibility of differentiating the possible causes of pulsatile tinnitus, particularly in patients with normal otoscopy, using clinical, audiological and radiological, tools. 29 patients complaining of pulsatile tinnitus were evaluated by history taking, clinical examination, laboratory investigations, otoscopy, basic audiological evaluation, MRI for petrous bone and brain and MRA. Glomus jugulare tumor was diagnosed in 3 patients. Benign intracranial hypertension [BIH] was diagnosed in 4 patients. Intraventricular neoplasm in 2 patients. Internal carotid artery stenosis in one patient. Post-traumatic pseudoaneurysm in one patient. Scalp AVM in one patient. Temporal bone metastasis in one patient. Severe anemia in one patient and no identifiable cause [idiopathic] in 15 patients. A unilateral mild low frequency pseudosensorineural hearing loss was identified in 10 patients with normal otoscopy. Hearing loss was normalized after elimination of tinnitus by applying a light digital pressure over the ipsilateral internal jugular vein