| ARTICLE |
|
| Year : 2015 | Volume
: 17
| Issue : 74 | Page : 34--42 |
Hearing loss associated with US military combat deployment
Timothy S Wells1, Amber D Seelig2, Margaret A. K. Ryan3, Jason M Jones3, Tomoko I Hooper4, Isabel G Jacobson5, Edward J Boyko6
1 Advanced Analytics Optum, Ann Arbor, MI, San Diego, CA, USA
2 Naval Health Research Center, San Diego, CA; Epidemiologic Research and Information Center, VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA, USA
3 Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton, San Diego, CA, USA
4 Department of Preventive Medicine and Biometrics, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, USA
5 Naval Health Research Center, San Diego, CA, USA
6 Epidemiologic Research and Information Center, VA Puget Sound Health Care System; Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
Correspondence Address:
Timothy S Wells
1839 Waverly Road, Holt, Michigan
USA
 Source of Support: This research represents Naval Health Research
Center report 13-59, supported by the Department of Defense, under
work unit no. 60002. The Millennium Cohort Study is funded through
the Military Operational Medicine Research Program of the US Army
Medical Research and Materiel Command, Fort Detrick, Maryland., Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/1463-1741.149574
The objective of this study was to define the risk of hearing loss among US military members in relation to their deployment experiences. Data were drawn from the Millennium Cohort Study. Self-reported data and objective military service data were used to assess exposures and outcomes. Among all 48,540 participants, 7.5% self-reported new-onset hearing loss. Self-reported hearing loss showed moderate to substantial agreement (k = 0.57-0.69) with objective audiometric measures. New-onset hearing loss was associated with combat deployment (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.63, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.49-1.77), as well as male sex and older age. Among deployers, new-onset hearing loss was also associated with proximity to improvised explosive devices (AOR = 2.10, 95% CI = 1.62-2.73) and with experiencing a combat-related head injury (AOR = 6.88, 95% CI = 3.77-12.54). These findings have implications for health care and disability planning, as well as for prevention programs.
[FULL TEXT] [PDF]*
|
Search Pubmed for
