title: Audiological issues and hearing loss among Veterans with mild traumatic brain injury.
abstract: We examined the prevalence, severity, etiology, and treatment of audiology problems among Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation Enduring Freedom (OIF/OEF) Veterans with mild traumatic brain injury (TBI). A retrospective chart review was performed of 250 Veterans with mild TBI. Results of a comprehensive second-level mild TBI evaluation and subsequent visits to audiology were evaluated. We found the vast majority (87%) of Veterans reported some level of hearing disturbance and those involved in blast injuries reported a higher incidence of hearing disturbance than those with other injury etiologies. Audiology referrals were given to 75 Veterans and 37 attended. At this visit, Veterans reported tinnitus (75.7%) and hearing loss (59.8%). Nearly half (48.6%) of Veterans were diagnosed with conductive hearing loss, sensorineural hearing loss, or central auditory dysfunction. An additional 24.3% of Veterans had subclinical levels of auditory dysfunction. Our study has highlighted the increased prevalence of hearing loss among OIF/OEF Veterans and, thus, the need for appropriate referrals and treatment. Strategies to address perceived stigma associated with hearing loss may increase attendance at follow-up visits. Additionally, while only a third of audiograms were found to be abnormal, advanced testing resulted in a significant percentage of our population being diagnosed with auditory dysfunction.
authors: 1Department of Veterans Affairs, Center for Management of Complex Chronic Care, Spinal Cord Injury Quality Enhancement Research Initiative, Edward Hines Jr VA Hospital, Hines, IL 60141, USA. MichaelOleksiak@gmail.com
authors: Michael
authors: M
authors: Oleksiak
authors: Bridget M
authors: BM
authors: Smith
authors: Justin R
authors: JR
authors: St Andre
authors: Carly M
authors: CM
authors: Caughlan
authors: Monica
authors: M
authors: Steiner
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D055826:Afghan Campaign 2001-; D001299:Audiometry; D001753:Blast Injuries / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D034381:Hearing Loss / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D006320:Hearing Tests; D006801:Humans; D054542:Iraq War, 2003-2011; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014012:Tinnitus / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014728:Veterans / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult