title: Hearing loss associated with US military combat deployment.
abstract: The objective of this study was to define the risk of hearing loss among US military members in relation to their deployment experiences. Data were drawn from the Millennium Cohort Study. Self-reported data and objective military service data were used to assess exposures and outcomes. Among all 48,540 participants, 7.5% self-reported new-onset hearing loss. Self-reported hearing loss showed moderate to substantial agreement (k = 0.57-0.69) with objective audiometric measures. New-onset hearing loss was associated with combat deployment (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.63, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.49-1.77), as well as male sex and older age. Among deployers, new-onset hearing loss was also associated with proximity to improvised explosive devices (AOR = 2.10, 95% CI = 1.62-2.73) and with experiencing a combat-related head injury (AOR = 6.88, 95% CI = 3.77-12.54). These findings have implications for health care and disability planning, as well as for prevention programs.
authors.affiliation: Advanced Analytics Optum, Ann Arbor, MI, San Diego, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Timothy S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Wells
authors.forename: Amber D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Seelig
authors.forename: Margaret A K
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Ryan
authors.forename: Jason M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: Tomoko I
authors.initials: TI
authors.lastname: Hooper
authors.forename: Isabel G
authors.initials: IG
authors.lastname: Jacobson
authors.forename: Edward J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Boyko
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006317:Hearing Loss, Noise-Induced / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008889:Military Personnel; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014857:Warfare; D055815:Young Adult