Background: Noise-induced hearing loss [NIHL] has been defined as a creeping hearing impairment resulting from long-term exposure to loud sound. Traffic policemen deployed at heavy traffic junctions, working for more than 10-12 hours a day, are at a risk of developing NIHL. Evidence suggests factory workers exposed to long-term noise might suffer from vestibular dysfunctions like dizziness, increased sway, disequilibrium and even nystagmus affecting their quality of life; hence this study was undertaken to find and correlate vestibular dysfunctions in traffic police with NIHL to prevent and address these problems at the earliest.
Methodology: A pilot study including 15 trafficpersonnels having 2-10 years of experience in the field were selected out of which pure tone audiometry was conducted for 8 participants based on a prior objective examination in order to ascertain those having noise induced hearing loss (NIHL). Then, vestibular function tests were performed to assess if any vestibular dysfunction occurred post NIHL. Vertigo symptom scale (VSS-SF) was used as an outcome measure for the same.
Result: Strong positive correlation was observed between long standing experience in the field and audiometry values. VSS-SF proved to be a useful tool to assess early vestibular symptoms following NIHL as strong positive correlation coefficients were recorded.
Conclusion: The study concludes that there is a significant correlation between NIHL (noise induced hearing loss) and vestibular dysfunction when assessed for long-term exposure to noise among traffic personnels.
Impact Factor
2022: 6.012
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