Bottom Line: The effect of portable music players on the hearing of children is unclear. A new study found that about 1 in 7 children (9 to 11 years of age) showed signs of noise-induced hearing impairment, prior to exposure to known noise hazards such as club and concert attendance. Portable music players, used by 40 percent of 2,075 children in the study from the Netherlands, were associated with high-frequency hearing loss. Repeated measurements are needed to confirm this association.
Authors: Carlijn M. P. le Clercq, M.D., Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and coauthors
To Learn More: The full study is available on the For The Media website.
Related material: The commentary, "Can Your Smartphone Save Your Hearing?," by Kevin H. Franck, Ph.D., M.B.A., C.C.C.-A., Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School, Boston, is also available on the For The Media website.
(doi:10.1001/jamaoto.2018.0646)
Editor's Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.
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