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Determination of conventional and high frequency hearing thresholds of infantry and artillery

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 November 2024

Ceren Karaçaylı Open the ORCID record for Ceren Karaçaylı [Opens in a new window] ,
Evren Hızal  and
Mustafa Gerek
Ceren Karaçaylı*
Affiliation:
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University of Health Sciences, Gülhane Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey Department of Audiology, University of Health Sciences Gulhane Faculty of Health Sciences, Ankara, Turkey
Evren Hızal
Affiliation:
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University of Health Sciences, Gülhane Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey Department of Audiology, University of Health Sciences Gulhane Faculty of Health Sciences, Ankara, Turkey
Mustafa Gerek
Affiliation:
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University of Health Sciences Gulhane Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey
*
Corresponding author: Ceren Karaçaylı; Email: ckaracayli@yahoo.com
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Abstract

Objective

This study aims to assess the pure tone auditory thresholds in infantry and artillery personnel to evaluate potential hearing loss and ascertain the effect of military service duration on these thresholds.

Methods

A total of 108 participants, comprising 35 infantry, 30 artillery personnel, and 43 healthy volunteers as controls, underwent conventional and high-frequency pure tone audiometry. Thresholds were measured across frequencies of 125–16000 Hz.

Results

Artillery personnel exhibited significantly higher hearing thresholds compared to controls across various frequencies, particularly in the right ear. Infantry personnel showed elevated thresholds at specific frequencies in the left ear. Correlations were observed among age, years of service and number of shots fired.

Conclusion

Repetitive exposure to firearm noise can lead to significant hearing loss across a broad frequency range. Implementing comprehensive ear protection programs for military personnel is crucial to mitigate these risks.

Keywords

acoustic traumamilitary personnelhearing losshigh-frequency

Information

Type
Main Article
Information
The Journal of Laryngology & Otology , Volume 139 , Issue 5 , May 2025 , pp. 349 - 356
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of J.L.O. (1984) LIMITED.

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Footnotes

Ceren Karaçaylı takes responsibility for the integrity of the content of the paper.

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