Hearing loss in steelband musicians.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the difference in hearing between a group of steelband musicians (pannists) and a control group.


METHODS
We conducted a controlled cross-sectional pilot study consisting of 29 steelpan players and 30 control subjects from a steelpan orchestra (steelband) in the Otolaryngology Department of the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex.


RESULTS
Significantly more steelpan players had a hearing loss than the control subjects at 3000 Hz, 4000 Hz, and 6000 Hz ( P < 0.01). chi 2 testing for trend demonstrated that the longer a steelpan player played his instrument the greater the hearing loss.


CONCLUSIONS
These results indicate that pannists suffer permanent auditory damage from high-intensity sound levels and that preventative measures are required to prevent this hearing loss, particularly in younger players.
Department of Otolarygology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of the West Indies, Trinidad.
Solaiman
S
Juman
Collin S
CS
Karmody
Donald
D
Simeon
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001299:Audiometry; D005260:Female; D006317:Hearing Loss, Noise-Induced / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009146:Music; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D013997:Time Factors; D014300:Trinidad and Tobago