title: Hearing Impairment and High Blood Pressure among Bus Drivers in Puducherry.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Noise Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL), a major heath concern due to constant exposure to loud noise is on the rising trend in today's world. The bus drivers are more vulnerable to the auditory and non-auditory ill effects of noise pollution.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to assess and compare the hearing level, blood pressure and peak expiratory flow rate of bus drivers and individuals employed in office jobs.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty male bus drivers aged 30-50 years and fifty males of the same group employed in office jobs were recruited as the test and control groups respectively. The hearing level of the individuals in both the groups was assessed using the Hearing Deterioration Index (HDI). The lung function and cardiovascular status of the study participants were assessed by measuring their Peak Expiratory Flow Rate (PEFR) and Blood Pressure (BP) respectively. The mean HDI, PEFR and BP values of both the groups were compared using the unpaired t-test and the extent of correlation between HDI, service years, exposure level, systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) was determined using Pearson correlation coefficient test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  HDI, SBP and DBP were significantly higher among the bus drivers when compared to the controls. However, there was no significant difference in the PEFR values between the test and the control groups. There was a highly significant positive correlation between HDI and service years and exposure level. Similarly, there was a significant positive correlation between exposure level and systolic and diastolic blood pressure.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Prolonged exposure to high intensity of sound results in deterioration of hearing capacity and increase in blood pressure among the bus drivers.
authors.affiliation: Student, Indira Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute , Puducherry, India .
authors.forename: Rajeshwar
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Balaji
authors.affiliation: Assistant Professor, Department of Physiology, Indira Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute , Puducherry, India .
authors.forename: Rajalakshmi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rajasegaran
authors.affiliation: Professor and Head, Department of Physiology, Indira Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute , Puducherry, India .
authors.forename: Nitin Ashok
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: John
authors.affiliation: Associate Professor, Department of Physiology, Indira Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute , Puducherry, India .
authors.forename: Umadevi Sajja
authors.initials: US
authors.lastname: Venkatappa
keywords: Hearing deterioration index; Hearing loss; Noise; Service years