Análise do padrão audiológico de músicos adultos: consequências da exposição a níveis de pressão sonora elevados sobre o efeito inibidor da via eferente

Abstract

Objective: to characterize the audiometric profile and the physiological responses of hearing in professional and amateur musicians exposed to high sound pressure levels, as well as to verify the existence of a relationship between the inhibitory effect of the efferent pathway and the amount of exposure to noise. Methods: The sample consisted of 60 adult professional and amateur musicians of both sexes aged between 18 to 35 years old from the health clinic of the musician at the university hospital and musicians from the researchers ‘personal contacts. This was a cross-sectional analytical observational research. The study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the Federal University of Minas Gerais document number 2693169E1. In the first stage of the study, the musicians answered a questionnaire with questions containing their health history, hearing complaints, frequency and type of noise exposure. In the second stage, they were submitted to basic audiological evaluation (pure tone audiometry, high frequency audiometry and immittance testing), and physiological evaluation with the research of Distortion Product Otoacoustic Emissions (DPOAE) as well as the contralateral suppression of these emissions. Descriptive analysis of the collected data was performed. Mann-Whitney test was used to analyze associations between the presence and absence of suppression in relation to the variables working time and exposure dose. The Chi-square test and Fisher's exact test were applied in order to compare the presence and absence of the supression in relation to the variables auditory and vestibular symptoms, sex, occupational exposure in addition to music and auditory and vestibular symptoms after the practice or presentations. Results: 60 young adult musicians (18 to 35 years) were included in the study, with an averag There was a significant incidence of complaints and auditory and vestibular symptoms in the sample studied (71.7%), although all participants having normal audiograms and the presence of otoacoustic emissions in all frequencies tested from 1.000 Hz, 2.000 Hz, 3.000 Hz, 4.000 Hz to 6.000 Hz. The analysis of the inhibitory effect of the efferent pathway showed that in most frequencies tested, with the exception of 3000Hz, there was a change in the activity of the efferent system with the absence of suppression. However, the absence of the inhibitory effect of the efferent pathway was not associated with working time and the amount of sound exposure at frequencies tested between 1 and 6 Hz. Conclusion: Based on the data presented in this study, there was an absence of the efferent pathway in the studied sample, although all subjects had normal audiometric thresholds, this data already reveals a possible change in the functioning at the retrocochlear level. EOAPD and its suppression analysis found no correlation between the absence of the inhibitory effect of the efferent pathway and the amount of exposure to NPSE with the presence of auditory and vestibular complaints. This fact may be due to inter subject’s variability and also point to early deficits in retrocochlear function regardless of the amount of sound exposure.