Curriculum · ENT, Ophthalmology, and Dermatology
Noise-induced sensorineural hearing loss
What it is
Noise is one of the inner ear causes of sensorineural hearing loss, alongside Meniere disease, age, autoimmune disease, ototoxic drugs, tumor and infection. The damage is done either by 85-90 dB over months or years, or by a single sound above 135 dB. The damage is either temporary, where removal of the noise returns hearing to normal, or permanent, where hearing does not return to its previous state.
How it presents
The patient describes bilateral hearing loss and difficulty with speech discrimination, and there may be aural fullness and tinnitus. Hearing becomes worse in noisy environments, as it does in every sensorineural loss, while in conductive loss hearing improves in noisy environments. Any patient with hearing loss should be asked about noise at the work place.