Ylikoski M E, Ylikoski J S
Lappeenranta Regional Institute of Occupational Health, Finland.
Scand J Work Environ Health. 1994 Apr;20(2):93-100. doi: 10.5271/sjweh.1415.
The aim of the study was to investigate the prevalence and degree of hearing loss and other disabling consequences of noise among professional soldiers.
A cross-sectional audiometric survey was combined with a questionnaire study on disabilities in a stratified random sample of 699 army officers (mean age 39.8 years) with long-term exposure to gunfire noise.
In 224 (32%) officers, the hearing threshold was found to be 20 dB or less at all of the frequencies measured (0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 8 kHz). Most of the 475 (68%) subjects with hearing loss belonged to older age categories, but more than one-fourth (26%) of the officers under 30 years of age had a hearing loss. Low frequencies were deteriorated in 110 (16%) subjects. The average of the hearing threshold levels of the frequencies 2 and 4 kHz exceeded 20 dB in 229 (33%) officers. For 347 (49.6%) subjects hearing was normal for their age. The degree of age-corrected hearing loss, especially at low frequencies, correlated highly significantly with exposure. Altogether 220 (32%) men experienced tinnitus, 118 (17%) of them continuously. Tinnitus was the most common among the men with severe or disabling hearing loss. Twenty-four (3.4%) of 699 officers needed sound amplification in noisy environments.
The prevalence of hearing loss in the Finnish Defence Forces seems to have decreased, but a fairly large number of younger men still suffer considerable hearing loss and disabling tinnitus, although the use of hearing protectors has substantially increased during the past 15 years. Most of the subjects experienced communication difficulties in noisy environments.
本研究旨在调查职业军人中听力损失的患病率和程度以及噪声导致的其他致残后果。
对699名长期暴露于枪炮噪声中的陆军军官（平均年龄39.8岁）进行分层随机抽样，将横断面听力测定调查与关于残疾情况的问卷调查相结合。
在224名（32%）军官中，在所测量的所有频率（0.5、1、2、3、4、6和8千赫）下，听力阈值均在20分贝或更低。475名（68%）听力损失受试者中的大多数属于年龄较大的类别，但30岁以下的军官中有超过四分之一（26%）存在听力损失。110名（16%）受试者的低频听力下降。在229名（33%）军官中，2千赫和4千赫频率的听力阈值平均超过20分贝。347名（49.6%）受试者的听力与其年龄相符。年龄校正后的听力损失程度，尤其是低频听力损失程度，与暴露高度显著相关。共有220名（32%）男性经历耳鸣，其中118名（17%）持续耳鸣。耳鸣在重度或致残性听力损失男性中最为常见。699名军官中有24名（3.4%）在嘈杂环境中需要使用扩音设备。
芬兰国防军听力损失的患病率似乎有所下降，但尽管在过去15年中听力保护器的使用大幅增加，仍有相当数量的年轻男性遭受相当程度的听力损失和致残性耳鸣。大多数受试者在嘈杂环境中存在沟通困难。
