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High-Frequency Hearing Loss Among Mobile Phone Users

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Indian Journal of Otolaryngology and Head & Neck Surgery Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The objective of this study is to assess high frequency hearing (above 8 kHz) loss among prolonged mobile phone users is a tertiary Referral Center. Prospective single blinded study. This is the first study that used high-frequency audiometry. The wide usage of mobile phone is so profound that we were unable to find enough non-users as a control group. Therefore we compared the non-dominant ear to the dominant ear using audiometric measurements. The study was a blinded study wherein the audiologist did not know which was the dominant ear. A total of 100 subjects were studied. Of the subjects studied 53% were males and 47% females. Mean age was 27. The left ear was dominant in 63%, 22% were dominant in the right ear and 15% did not have a preference. This study showed that there is significant loss in the dominant ear compared to the non-dominant ear (P < 0.05). Chronic usage mobile phone revealed high frequency hearing loss in the dominant ear (mobile phone used) compared to the non dominant ear.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

    P. Velayutham, Gopala Krishnan Govindasamy, R. Raman & N. Prepageran

  2. Department of Biomedical Imaging, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

    K. H. Ng

  3. Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University Malaya Medical Center, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

    N. Prepageran

Authors
  1. P. Velayutham
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  2. Gopala Krishnan Govindasamy
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  3. R. Raman
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  4. N. Prepageran
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  5. K. H. Ng
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to N. Prepageran.

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Velayutham, P., Govindasamy, G.K., Raman, R. et al. High-Frequency Hearing Loss Among Mobile Phone Users. Indian J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 66 (Suppl 1), 169–172 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12070-011-0406-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12070-011-0406-4

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