TY - JOUR
T1 - Hearing impairment and tinnitus
T2 - Prevalence, risk factors, and outcomes in us service members and veterans deployed to the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars
AU - Theodoroff, Sarah M.
AU - Lewis, M. Samantha
AU - Folmer, Robert L.
AU - Henry, James A.
AU - Carlson, Kathleen F.
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported, in part, by the Department of Defense Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (PR121146 to J. A. H.) and a career development grant from the Veterans Health Administration Health Services Research and Development Service (CDA 08-025 to K. F. C.). Additional support was provided by the National Center for Rehabilitative Auditory Research (funded by VA RR&D grant C9230C) at the Portland VA Medical Center. Conflict of interest: none declared.
PY - 2015/1/1
Y1 - 2015/1/1
N2 - Hearing loss and tinnitus are the 2 most prevalent service-connected disabilities among veterans in the United States. Veterans of Operations Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, and New Dawn have been exposed to multiple hazards associated with these conditions, such as blasts/explosions, ototoxic chemicals, and most notably high levels of noise. We conducted a systematic literature review of evidence on 1) prevalence of, 2) risk and protective factors for, and 3) functional and quality-of-life outcomes of hearing impairment and tinnitus in US Operations Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, and New Dawn veterans and military personnel. We identified studies published from 2001 through 2013 using PubMed, PsycINFO, REHABDATA, Cochrane Library, pearling, and expert recommendation. Peer-reviewed English language articles describing studies of 30 or more adults were included if they informed one or more key questions. A total of 839 titles/abstracts were reviewed for relevance by investigators trained in critical analysis of literature; 14 studies met inclusion criteria. Of these, 13 studies presented data on prevalence and 4 on risk/protective factors, respectively. There were no included studies reporting on outcomes. Findings fromthis systematic review will help inform clinicians, researchers, and policy makers on future resource and research needs pertaining to hearing impairment and tinnitus in this newest generation of veterans.
AB - Hearing loss and tinnitus are the 2 most prevalent service-connected disabilities among veterans in the United States. Veterans of Operations Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, and New Dawn have been exposed to multiple hazards associated with these conditions, such as blasts/explosions, ototoxic chemicals, and most notably high levels of noise. We conducted a systematic literature review of evidence on 1) prevalence of, 2) risk and protective factors for, and 3) functional and quality-of-life outcomes of hearing impairment and tinnitus in US Operations Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, and New Dawn veterans and military personnel. We identified studies published from 2001 through 2013 using PubMed, PsycINFO, REHABDATA, Cochrane Library, pearling, and expert recommendation. Peer-reviewed English language articles describing studies of 30 or more adults were included if they informed one or more key questions. A total of 839 titles/abstracts were reviewed for relevance by investigators trained in critical analysis of literature; 14 studies met inclusion criteria. Of these, 13 studies presented data on prevalence and 4 on risk/protective factors, respectively. There were no included studies reporting on outcomes. Findings fromthis systematic review will help inform clinicians, researchers, and policy makers on future resource and research needs pertaining to hearing impairment and tinnitus in this newest generation of veterans.
KW - Hearing loss
KW - Prevalence
KW - Risk factors
KW - Tinnitus
KW - Veterans' health
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U2 - 10.1093/epirev/mxu005
DO - 10.1093/epirev/mxu005
M3 - Review article
C2 - 25600417
AN - SCOPUS:84941569573
SN - 0193-936X
VL - 37
SP - 71
EP - 85
JO - Epidemiologic Reviews
JF - Epidemiologic Reviews
IS - 1
ER -