title: Amplified music exposure carries risks to hearing.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the association between changes in the outer hair cells and exposure to amplified music in a group of high-school students.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this retrospective, case-control study, 86 subjects underwent audiometry, immittance audiometry, and distortion-product otoacoustic emission tests. The subjects were questioned about their listening habits and divided into 2 groups: exposed and unexposed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Most of the subjects had reduced function in their outer hair cells, mainly beginning at 8 kHz. Among 60 subjects-30 cases and 30 controls-75% were considered exposed and 25% unexposed. The exposed subjects were 9.33 times more likely to have altered outer hair cells than the unexposed subjects were.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Exposure to amplified music is associated with reduced function in the hair cells.
authors.affiliation: University of Brasília, Brazil. Electronic address: valeriafga@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Valéria Gomes
authors.initials: VG
authors.lastname: da Silva
authors.affiliation: University of Brasília, Brazil.
authors.forename: Carlos Augusto Costa Pires
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: de Oliveira
authors.affiliation: University of Brasília, Brazil.
authors.forename: Pedro Luíz
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Tauil
authors.affiliation: University of Brasília, Brazil.
authors.forename: Isabella Monteiro
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: de Castro Silva
authors.affiliation: University of Brasília, Brazil.
authors.forename: André Luiz Lopes
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Sampaio
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001299:Audiometry; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D018072:Hair Cells, Auditory, Outer / Q000473:pathology; D006317:Hearing Loss, Noise-Induced / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009146:Music; D017084:Otoacoustic Emissions, Spontaneous / Q000502:physiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies
keywords: Adolescents; Amplified music; Cochlear hair cells; Hearing loss; Leisure