Are our investigation methods sensitive enough to hearing damage caused by noise?

Abstract

Based on the comparison of the answers from the original questionnaire regarding the noise burden of music noise through headphones and other noisy activities in young people aged 16–18 years with the results of an audiometric examination using a threshold tone audiogram, it was confi rmed, contrary to the generally widespread information, that in this age group, there is no hearing impairment. We explain this fact by the young age of the examinees, i.e. the high resistance of the hearing apparatus to noise. Similar results are also reported in current professional literature, which is signifi cantly poor in this issue. Similar results have not yet been published in the Czech literature. If, according to the literature, initial symptoms of hearing impairment were found, then exclusively in the high-frequency audiometric area. The answer to the question whether “are our investigation methods sensitive enough to noise-induced hearing damage” is a clear NO. If we would like to record preventively the initial states of hearing damage from noise, including music consumed through headphones, then we must investigate with high-frequency audiometry. Key words hearing – noise impairment – headphones – young age – high-frequency audiometry