The Relationship Between Selected Non-Auditory Measures and the Hearing Threshold Levels of an Aviation Noise-Exposed Population

摘要

Individual differences in susceptibility to deleterious noise effects is one of the distinguishing characteristics of noise-related research. Using data from NAMRL's Thousand Aviator Study, subjects categorized as being of 'normal hearing' (n=97) and of 'impaired hearing' (n=104) were compared along several non-auditory dimensions. Results indicated that the two groups differed significantly (p < .05) in regard to smoking behavior and eye color. That is, the impaired hearing group had smoked more cigarettes for longer periods of time and tended to have more blue-eyed (i.e., low melanin concentration) individuals than did the normal hearing group. The latter finding is congruent with the speculation that melanin in the stria vascularis (the concentration of which is mirrored by iris pigmentation) serves to protect cochlear function. Variables which failed to differentiate the two hearing level groups included: blood pressure (systolic and diastolic; sitting and supine), heart rate, serum cholesterol, serum triglycerides, serum lipoproteins, serum uric acid, atherogenic index, presence of arcus senilis, the ten scales of the Guilford-Zimmerman Temperament Survey (emotional stability, restraint, general activity, seriousness, objectivity, social ascendancy, friendliness, thoughtfulness, personal relations, masculinity), social index, alcohol consumption, and somatotype.