Abstract:
Background: Hearing loss due to noise exposure is considered one of the known harmful effects of noise on human health. Unlike the effect of noise on hearing, it is not usually considered a common etiology of dizziness, vertigo, or other vestibular disorders. With the help of sensory hair cells, the cochlea and the vestibular end organs have a similar evolutionary origin and use the same basic precept of mechano-electric transduction. Therefore, the noise levels that cause damage to the cochlea may also damage the balance system.

Methods: Two groups were included in this study. Control group: 17 healthy subjects with normal peripheral hearing sensitivity and study group: 17 subjects with industrial noise exposure. Basic audiological evaluation and VNG test battery were conducted on all the subjects in this study.

Results: There was a statistically significant difference in thresholds of pure tone audiogram at 3,4,6,8 KHz frequencies between the study and the control groups. In addition, there was a statistically significant difference in caloric weakness between the two groups. A positive correlation between the noise exposure duration and caloric weakness was also present.

Conclusion: Long-term noise exposure causes peripheral compensated vestibular dysfunction in addition to its effect on hearing.

Keywords: VNG, Chronic noise exposure, noise-induced hearing loss, vestibular.