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Oleksiak M, Smith BM, St Andre JR, Caughlan CM, Steiner M. Audiological issues and hearing loss among Veterans with mild traumatic brain injury. Journal of rehabilitation research and development. 2013 Aug 12; 49(7):995-1004.
We examined the prevalence, severity, etiology, and treatment of audiology problems among Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation Enduring Freedom (OIF/OEF) Veterans with mild traumatic brain injury (TBI). A retrospective chart review was performed of 250 Veterans with mild TBI. Results of a comprehensive second-level mild TBI evaluation and subsequent visits to audiology were evaluated. We found the vast majority (87%) of Veterans reported some level of hearing disturbance and those involved in blast injuries reported a higher incidence of hearing disturbance than those with other injury etiologies. Audiology referrals were given to 75 Veterans and 37 attended. At this visit, Veterans reported tinnitus (75.7%) and hearing loss (59.8%). Nearly half (48.6%) of Veterans were diagnosed with conductive hearing loss, sensorineural hearing loss, or central auditory dysfunction. An additional 24.3% of Veterans had subclinical levels of auditory dysfunction. Our study has highlighted the increased prevalence of hearing loss among OIF/OEF Veterans and, thus, the need for appropriate referrals and treatment. Strategies to address perceived stigma associated with hearing loss may increase attendance at follow-up visits. Additionally, while only a third of audiograms were found to be abnormal, advanced testing resulted in a significant percentage of our population being diagnosed with auditory dysfunction.