Incidence of tinnitus in mp 3 player users Abstract

Ricardo Rodrigues Figueiredo, Andreia Aparecida de Azevedo, Patrícia Mello de Oliveira, Sandro Pereira Vasconcellos Amorim, Artur Guedes Rios, Vanderlei Baptista 1 Master’s degree in general surgery, area of concentration ENT, Rio de Janeiro Federal University (Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro). Adjunct professor and head of the ENT unit, Valença Medical School (Faculdade de Medicina de Valença), RJ. 2 Physician, otorhinolaryngologist at OTOSUL (Otorrinolaringologia Sul-Fluminense). 3 Audiologist, speech therapist at OTOSUL (Otorrinolaringologia Sul-Fluminense). 4 6th-year medical undergraduate, Valença Medical School, RJ. Scholarship from the scientific initiation program, Valença Medical School. 5 6th-year medical undergraduate, Valença Medical School, RJ. Scholarship from the scientific initiation program, Valença Medical School. 6 6th-year medical undergraduate, Valença Medical School, RJ. Scholarship from the scientific initiation program, Valença Medical School. Paper submitted to the BJORL-SGP (Publishing Management System – Brazilian Journal of Otorhinolaryngology) on August 23, 2010; and accepted on November 7, 2010. cod. 7287 Exposure to loud noise is one of the main causes of tinnitus. Aim: To analyze the incidence of tinnitus in mp3 player users and non-users. Material and method: One hundred subjects aged from 15 to 30 years were enrolled, 54 of them were regular mp3 player users and 46 were not. Patients with continuous tinnitus for at least 6 months completed the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) and were tested with high frequency audiometry and transient-evoked otoacoustic emissions (TAOE). Study design: A cross-sectional cohort study. Results: The incidence of tinnitus in non-users was about 8 %; in mp3 player users it was about 28 %, a statistically significant difference. Hearing thresholds at 8kHz were significantly higher in tinnitus patients that used mp3 portable players.TAOE were reduced at 2 kHz in the users group. No statistically significant difference was found in the THI scores between the two groups. Conclusion: Tinnitus was more frequent in teenagers and young adults who regularly listen to mp3 music in players. Moreover, the incidence of tinnitus among mp3 player users was associated with higher hearing thresholds at 8 kHz and lower TOAE at 2 kHz. Clinicaltrials.gov registration number: NCT 01187251 ORIGINAL ARTICLE Braz J Otorhinolaryngol. 2011;77(3):293-8. BJORL