title: Noise induced hearing loss: research in Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe and Newly Independent States.
abstract: The aim of this review was to summarize the studies on noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) which were carried out in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, South-East Europe, and former Soviet Union countries or Newly Independent States in the period from 1970 to 2012. The papers were identified by literature search of all accessible medical and other databases (Scopus, PubMed, Medline, etc.) using the terms "noise; hearing loss, NIHL" as key words and country denomination (in alphabetical order: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Czech Republic, Georgia, Hungary, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Russian Federation, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, former Yugoslavia, Ukraine). This review comprises both papers published in peer-reviewed international journals and articles from local sources. The main papers' topics included the assessment of the noise hazards in occupational, and very seldom in communal environment, and the prevalence of hearing impairment in employees. Simultaneously, attempts were undertaken to establish the relationship between the degree of hearing impairment and noise exposure. The effect of combined exposures to noise and vibration and/or otoxic chemicals was assessed as well. The influence of environmental, individual, and genetic risk factors on NIHL development was intensively examined. In addition, studies concerning the role of otoacoustic emissions for NIHL monitoring and clinical examinations were conducted. Some animal researches, including molecular genetics, had been also performed. The majority of papers concerned occupational exposures, whereas only a few were dedicated to community noise.
authors: Department of Physical Hazards, Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine, Lodz, Poland. mpawlusz@imp.lodz.pl
authors: Malgorzata
authors: M
authors: Pawlaczyk-Luszczynska
authors: Adam
authors: A
authors: Dudarewicz
authors: Kamil
authors: K
authors: Zaborowski
authors: Malgorzata
authors: M
authors: Zamojska
authors: Mariola
authors: M
authors: Sliwinska-Kowalska
mesh_terms: D005061:Europe, Eastern / Q000453:epidemiology; D006317:Hearing Loss, Noise-Induced / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D006801:Humans; D009623:Noise, Occupational / Q000009:adverse effects*; D009790:Occupations; D012307:Risk Factors