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Background: Exposure to Occupational noise is the major avoidable cause of permanent hearing loss that is preventable by protective measures. Present study evaluated hearing profile and effects of shift, sex, and smoking on hearing loss in plastic weavers working in textile industry exposed to impact type of noise. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study of hearing threshold of various shift workers of plastic weaving industries (18 males, 32 females) at various frequencies was done and effect of various factors was tested at low and high frequencies and compared at 4 kHz, 6 kHz, and 8 kHz statistically. Results: Hearing thresholds were significantly higher at high frequencies than speech frequencies, in day shift workers than night shift workers and within day shift workers more with continuous type of shift work than interrupted type. Females showed better hearing than males and for non-smokers than smokers, but the difference observed in both instances proved statistically insignificant. Conclusion: It can be concluded that the use of alternate day and night shift, interrupted day shift may be used to prevent hearing loss and for further confirmation few more studies are warranted. Being female and non smoking also proved an advantage. Comparatively, mild to moderate degree of hearing loss further reinforces the scope of prevention by hearing protective devices and interrupted shift design of work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The textile workers exposed to industrial noise are prone to develop hearing loss concentrated mainly at high audible frequencies. It is affected by duration of exposure and type of noise. Aims: Present study was conducted to (a) investigate hearing thresholds of textile workers by pure tone audiometry, (b) correlate thresholds at 4 kHz, 6 kHz and 8 kHz between noise exposed and unexposed group and (c) study effect of duration of exposure on hearing profile. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out on 50 weavers of plastic industries exposed to high levels of constant noise. Objectively, hearing defects were inquired by self-administered questionnaires. Subjectively, pure tone audiometry was carried out to measure hearing thresholds at various frequencies. It was simultaneously compared with the similar data of matched control group. Results: Prevalence of hearing loss symptom and hearing thresholds were more in exposed group than in control group. There was significant hearing loss at high frequency as compared to lower ones. Audiometry revealed notch at 4 kHz with less effect at 6 or 8 kHz, cumulative effect of duration of exposure. Conclusion: Textile weavers are more at risk to develop Occupational Noise Induced Hearing Loss (ONIHL) mainly affecting higher frequencies concentrated at 4 kHz. Despite least effects on hearing, this disease silently progresses and there is a definite scope of prevention by appropriate protective measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Influence of sex on brainstem auditory evoked potential (BAEP) is not well understood with few studies in India that targets young Teenagers. Aim: Our study aimed to look into gender, head circumference, and body mass index (BMI) as a factor affecting BAEPs of healthy late teenagers. Materials and Methods: BAEP responses were elicited in age-matched teenager college students using standard protocol. Results of absolute latencies and interpeak latencies (IPLs) were compared among Male and female groups and compared for significance as such and after normalizing head size and BMI and tested for significant difference, if any. Results: Latencies and IPLs of BAEP were lower in males when compared with females, but significance was found only for the later parameter. IPLs showing significant gender difference were for I-III and III-V but not I-V. When test groups with comparable head size and BMI were compared, the difference decreased with neither of the parameter being statistically significant. Conclusion: Utility of BAEP can be optimized by establishing normative data for every setup based on BMI and head circumference along with age and gender before using it as a clinical tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A letter to the editor is presented in response to the article "A Study of Effect of Shift Work, Sex and Smoking on Development of ONIHL in Plastic Weavers" by J. D. Solanki and colleagues that was published in a 2013 issue.