Patterns of noise exposure and prevalence of hearing loss amongst Cape Town Minstrel Carnival musicians.
Lebogang Ramma
PMID 34082546WHAT IT FOUND
Despite high noise exposure and no hearing protection use, only one of 43 musicians had hearing loss.
Most participants reported tinnitus, but pure tone and otoacoustic emission tests showed normal hearing thresholds across the group.
Key findings
01Only one participant presented with hearing loss despite exposure to noise levels exceeding safety recommendations.
02A high proportion of participants reported experiencing tinnitus.
03No statistically significant differences were found in hearing test results based on role, instrument, or exposure duration.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The sample size was small (43 participants). Participants were not randomized, which limits generalisability. The study did not assess individual noise dose, only group patterns. The age range was limited to 5–49 years to exclude age-related hearing loss, which may miss older musicians. Tinnitus was reported but not further probed to distinguish transient from chronic or interfering tinnitus.
Declared interests
The study was approved by the University of Cape Town Human Research Ethics Committee. No specific funding or conflict of interest declarations are provided in the text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that these musicians are safe from hearing damage because their hearing tests were normal. The study notes that pure tone audiometry can underestimate 'hidden' hearing loss, and a high proportion of participants reported tinnitus, which is a known indicator of risk.