Headphones and other risk factors for hearing in young adults

Risky listening behaviour to music via headphones and its determinants - 7.5 years OHRKAN cohort study

OBJECTIVE

To examine risky leisure noise exposure from listening to music via headphones and to identify potential determinants with special focus on portable listening devices (PLDs) among adolescents over a period of 7.5-years.

DESIGN

Data were collected by questionnaires at four equidistant time points (O1-O4). Music exposure via headphones was calculated based on self-reported volume setting and listening duration. Exceeding 85 dB(A) equivalent for a 40-hour working week was defined as risky noise exposure. Determinants of risky headphone and PLD exposure were investigated using generalised estimating equations and accounting for missing data by multiple imputation.

STUDY SAMPLE

Closed cohort of 2148 students attending 9th grade of any secondary school type in Regensburg (Germany), during 2009 to 2011.

RESULTS

Risky noise exposure from headphone usage was almost twice as high in wave O1 and O2 (at age 15 or 18) compared with 20-23-year-olds in O3 and O4. Risky exposure to headphones and PLDs were associated with younger age, low and medium education, single-parent household and smoking, whereas good self-rated hearing showed a protective effect. Additionally, not being born in Germany was associated with risky PLD exposure.

CONCLUSION

Before harmful behaviours become entrenched, starting preventive efforts at a young age is essential.

[Headphone Explosion Burn]

The explosion of headphones is a rare incident, not reported in the literature, and is responsible for serious burns involving functional and aesthetic consequences with a major psychological impact. We report here the case of a young boy in order to raise awareness in the population and draw attention to these risks.

Single nucleotide polymorphisms in JNK1 are associated with susceptibility to noise-induced hearing loss in a Chinese population

PURPOSE

This study intended to explore the effect of C-Jun N-terminal kinases 1 (JNK1) polymorphisms on the sensitivity of individual hearing loss.

METHODS

A total of 1333 subjects, including 683 NIHL workers and 650 normal-hearing workers from east China, were included in this cross-sectional study. Genotyping of three JNK1 single nucleotide polymorphisms (rs9284, rs8428, and rs11598320) was performed. The relationship between different genotypes and noise-induced hearing loss was analyzed.

RESULTS

Results show that rs11598320 TT genotype was associated with a higher risk of NIHL (OR 1.57, 95% CI 0.91-2.70). Stratified analysis indicated that the rs11598320 AT + AA genotype was associated with a decreased risk of hearing loss in subjects exposed to noise ≤ 16 years or a noise level > 92 dB (OR 0.68, 95% CI 0.50-0.93 and OR 0.64, 95% CI 0.42-0.96, respectively). The rs8428 TT genotype was associated with an increased risk of noise-induced hearing loss when the noise level was > 92 dB (OR 1.73, 95% CI 1.11-2.70). Haplotype TCT (rs9284-rs8424-rs11598320) was associated with an increased risk of noise-induced hearing loss (OR 1.30, 95% CI 1.00-1.68).

CONCLUSION

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (rs11598320 and rs8424) in JNK1 can be used as new biomarkers of susceptibility for noise-induced hearing loss in Chinese workers.