Transient evoked otoacoustic emissions in rock musicians

Objective: Our focus in this study was the assessment of transient evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAEs) in a large group of rock musicians. A further objective was to analyse tinnitus among rock musicians as related to TEOAEs. Design: The study was a cross-sectional survey of rock musicians selected at random. A control group was included at random for comparison. Study sample: We recruited 111 musicians and a control group of 40 non-musicians. Testing was conducted by using clinical examination, pure tone audiometry, TEOAEs and a questionnaire. Results: TEOAE SNR in the half-octave frequency band centred on 4kHz was significantly lower bilaterally in musicians than controls. This effect was strongly predicted by age and pure-tone hearing threshold levels in the 3-6kHz range. Bilateral hearing thresholds were significantly higher at 6kHz in musicians. Twenty percent of the musicians had permanent tinnitus. There was no association between the TEOAE parameters and permanent tinnitus. Conclusions: Our results suggest an incipient hearing loss at 6kHz in rock musicians. Loss of TEOAE SNR in the 4kHz half-octave frequency band was observed, but it was related to higher mean 3-6kHz hearing thresholds and age. A large proportion of rock musicians have permanent tinnitus.