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.
Juman
Solaiman
S
Department of Otolarygology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of the West Indies, Trinidad.
Karmody
Collin S
CS
Simeon
Donald
D
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