Hearing Loss May Increase Accident Risks

People with hearing problems may have a higher risk of getting into accidents, says a recent study published in JAMA Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. Data from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), collected from 232.2 million U.S. adults from 2007 to 2015, showed that respondents who had "a lot of trouble" hearing were twice as likely to be hurt.

Accidental or unintentional injuries have led to 30.6 million emergency department visits in the United States, according to the CDC National Center for Health Statistics. Meanwhile, over 37.5 million American aged 18 and over suffer from different forms of hearing difficulty. Understanding the link between the accidental injury and hearing loss is key to reduce risks and incidences, including deaths.

In the NHIS survey, respondents were asked to describe their hearing status and were given the following options: excellent, good, a little trouble, moderate trouble, a lot of trouble, and deaf. The researchers did a cross-sectional analysis of the responses and tracked injuries that were related to work, leisure, and activities like sports and driving. Accidental injuries were found in 2.8 percent of survey respondents; the most prevalent injuries were work- and leisure-related.

With the observational study's design, the researchers could not intervene nor control natural differences that could further explain the findings. The researchers noted that self-reporting was admittedly one of the study limitations. Nonetheless, they concluded that improved public awareness of hearing health and proper screening is important to reduce the risk of accidental injuries. 

Notably, study author Hossein Mahboubi, MD, MPH, of University of California, Irvine, wrote about the gaps in hearing loss referral and evaluation in the March 2018 issue of The Hearing Journal​, and stressed the need for increased hearing health awareness. ​

Published: 3/28/2018 11:53:00 AM

from #ORL-AlexandrosSfakianakis via ola Kala on Inoreader https://ift.tt/2uNcPGE