Disability uditiva in rapporto alla soglia audiometrica: Ipotesi sulla determinazione di insorgenza dell'indebolimento del senso dell'udito

Background. The term auditory disability (AD) means the presence of auditory symptoms due to hearing loss. Until now the audiometric threshold cut-off between the presence or absence of AD was not clear. Objectives. In this study we attempted to define the value of audiometric threshold that could be considered as the limit between the presence or absence of weakness of auditory function, considered as the threshold at the 95th percentile of subjects that did not report AD. Methods. The study group consisted of 1641 males, 891 normally hearing and 750 affected by noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) Each subject was submitted to a questionnaire specifically created in order to determine the presence of AD. Results. Statistical analysis confirmed the reliability of answers to items. AD was present in 577 subjects, not all affected by NIHL. Audiometric threshold and age correlated significatively with the degree of AD. Conclusions. The results obtained allowed the audiometric threshold values to be determined at the 95th percentile of subjects who did not report AD, in relation to the average of frequencies normally used in hearing loss evaluation

Self-reported disability and handicap in individuals with noise-induced hearing loss

Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is the cause of subjective problems that could be classified as auditory disability (AD) and auditory handicap (AH). The aim of the study was to determine the relationship between the degree of hearing loss due to NIHL and AD-AH by means of an 11-item questionnaire. The study group consisted of 750 males affected by NIHL and 891 normally hearing males. Each subject was submitted to pure-tone audiometry (PTA) and to a questionnaire that explored AD and AH. Results showed that only 60% of NIHL subjects reported AD and 50% reported AH. The most common AD complaint was reduced speech comprehension in noise. Changes in social relations were rarely reported among the AH items. A correlation was found between both AD and AH and PTA threshold. The severity of AD seems more related to PTA threshold rather than to ag

The role of metals in autoimmune vasculitis: epidemiological and pathogenic study

OFR.and IL-12 productionboth involved in the pathogenesis of vasculitis.from human phagocytic cells stimulated with an amorphousdiatomaceous earth.and a crystalline quartz. form of Si at the doses of 10 and 100 mg mly1 was evaluated. Results: Study I } a positive history of exposure to Si resulted in significantly more present in cases 14r31s45%.than in controls 14r58s24%, Ps0.04, ORs2.4. and no other significant exposure association was found including asbestos, mineral oil, formaldehyde, diesel and welding fumes, grain and wood dust, leather, solvents, fungicides, bitumen, lead and paint.. Study II } past TBC infection was significantly more present in patients with vasculitis12r45s26%.than in controls 4r45s8%, P-0.05.. Study III } ANCA was present in 2r64 exposed peoplevs. 0r65 controls, PsNS.and 0r16 patients with TBC. Study IV } both amorphous and crystalline Si forms represented a stimulus for OFR and IL-12 production, but quartz resulted as a greater inductor. Conclusions: We conclude that Si exposure might be a risk factor for ANCA-associated vasculitis, possibly enhancing endothelial damage by phagocyte generation of oxygen free radicals and Th1 differentiation by an excessive IL-12 phagocyte production. Frequency of TBC was significantly higher in vasculitis patients. ANCA was not frequent in the preliminary examination of people with previous professional exposure or patients with TBC, but the number of samples evaluated is too small to allow conclusions. Q 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved