School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, The University of Queensland, Room 825, Level 8, Therapies Building (No 84A), St Lucia, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia.
BMC Public Health. 2013 Jan 16;13:39. doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-13-39.
A number of studies have demonstrated that solvents may induce auditory dysfunction. However, there is still little knowledge regarding the main signs and symptoms of solvent-induced hearing loss (SIHL). The aim of this research was to investigate the association between solvent exposure and adverse effects on peripheral and central auditory functioning with a comprehensive audiological test battery.
Seventy-two solvent-exposed workers and 72 non-exposed workers were selected to participate in the study. The test battery comprised pure-tone audiometry (PTA), transient evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAE), Random Gap Detection (RGD) and Hearing-in-Noise test (HINT).
Solvent-exposed subjects presented with poorer mean test results than non-exposed subjects. A bivariate and multivariate linear regression model analysis was performed. One model for each auditory outcome (PTA, TEOAE, RGD and HINT) was independently constructed. For all of the models solvent exposure was significantly associated with the auditory outcome. Age also appeared significantly associated with some auditory outcomes.
This study provides further evidence of the possible adverse effect of solvents on the peripheral and central auditory functioning. A discussion of these effects and the utility of selected hearing tests to assess SIHL is addressed.
多项研究表明，溶剂可能会导致听觉功能障碍。然而，对于溶剂性听力损失（SIHL）的主要体征和症状，我们的了解仍然很少。本研究旨在通过全面的听力学测试来研究溶剂暴露与外周和中枢听觉功能障碍之间的关联。
选择 72 名接触溶剂的工人和 72 名非接触工人参加这项研究。测试包包括纯音听力测试（PTA）、瞬态诱发耳声发射（TEOAE）、随机间隙检测（RGD）和噪声下听力测试（HINT）。
接触溶剂的受试者的平均测试结果比未接触溶剂的受试者差。对每个听觉结果（PTA、TEOAE、RGD 和 HINT）进行了双变量和多变量线性回归模型分析。为每个听觉结果（PTA、TEOAE、RGD 和 HINT）分别构建了一个模型。对于所有模型，溶剂暴露与听觉结果显著相关。年龄也与一些听觉结果显著相关。
本研究进一步证明了溶剂对周围和中枢听觉功能的可能有害影响。讨论了这些影响以及选定听力测试在评估 SIHL 中的作用。
