title: Speech recognition index of workers with tinnitus exposed to environmental or occupational noise: a comparative study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Tinnitus is considered the third worst symptom affecting humans. The aim of this article is to assess complaints by workers with tinnitus exposed to environmental and occupational noise.
  
  
  METHODS
  495 workers went through an epidemiological survey at the Audiology Department of the Center for Studies on Workers' Health and Human Ecology, from 2003 to 2007. The workers underwent tonal and vocal audiometry, preceded by a clinical and occupational history questionnaire. Two-factor ANOVA and Tukey were the statistical tests used. All the analysis set statistical significance at α=5%.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was a higher prevalence of occupational tinnitus (73.7%), a predominance of female domestic workers (65.4%) in cases of environmental exposure, and predominance of male construction workers (71.5%) for occupational exposure. There was a significant difference in workers with hearing loss, who showed a mean speech recognition index (SRI) of 85%, as compared to healthy workers with a mean SRI greater than 93.5%. Signs and symptoms, speech perception, and interference in sound localization with the type of noise exposure (environmental versus occupational) comparisons found no significant differences.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Studied group's high prevalence of tinnitus, major difficulties in speech recognition with hearing loss and the presence of individuals with normal hearing with both types of exposure justify the importance of measures in health promotion, prevention, and hearing surveillance. The findings highlight the importance of valuing the patients' own perception as the first indication of tinnitus and hearing loss in order to help develop appropriate public policies within the Unified National Health System (SUS).
authors.affiliation: Centro de Estudos da Saúde do Trabalhador e Ecologia Humana, Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Sala 55 Rua Leopoldo Bulhões, 1480, Manguinhos, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, CEP: 21040-360, Brasil. soalheir@ensp.fiocruz.br.
authors.forename: Márcia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Soalheiro
authors.forename: Lucelaine
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rocha
authors.forename: Diane Francis
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: do Vale
authors.forename: Viviane
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Fontes
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Valente
authors.forename: Liliane Reis
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Teixeira