Hearing Loss Associated with US Military Combat Deployment

Abstract

To define the risk of hearing loss among 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). 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.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Feb 01, 2015
Accession Number
ADA619355

Entities

People

  • Amber D. Seelig
  • Edward J. Boyko
  • Isabel Gomez Jacobson
  • Jason Jones
  • Margaret A.K. Ryan
  • Timothy Steven Wells
  • Tomoko I. Hooper

Organizations

  • Naval Health Research Center

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Agreements
  • Brain Injuries
  • Department Of Veterans Affairs
  • Diseases And Disorders
  • Ear
  • Explosive Devices
  • Explosives
  • Head Injuries
  • Health Care
  • Health Services
  • Hearing Disorders
  • Hearing Loss
  • Hearing Protection
  • Improvised Explosive Devices
  • Medical Personnel
  • Military Personnel
  • Protective Equipment

Readers

  • Auditory Neuroscience/Auditory Physiology.
  • Joint Military Operations and Doctrine.
  • Psychological Intervention/Treatment for Stress, Anxiety, PTSD, and Related Emotional and Cognitive Health Symptoms.