Auditory Changes in Occupational Health Associated With Metabolic Diseases in Adult Workers

Introduction: The most common hearing losses in the population are associated with genetic conditions, use of ototoxic substances or medications, infectious diseases, metabolic diseases and chronic ear diseases and the association of exposure to occupational risks or the natural aging process.

Objective: Verify the association between hearing loss in workers and metabolic diseases.

Method: Retrospective cross-sectional study with analysis of secondary data of subjects exposed to occupational noise and undergoing drug treatment for metabolic disease, attended in two occupational health clinics (C1 and C2) from January 2020 to December 2022, considering the data of reference examinations from the year 2005.

Results: Of the n = 97 subjects evaluated, 73.20% were male, exposed to occupational noise (64.90%), with medication use for treating cardiovascular diseases (89.70%). The most recurrent auditory complaint was tinnitus (28.90%), n = 53 subjects presented sensorineural hearing loss with a statistical association between the decline of hearing loss and medications used for metabolic and hormonal regulation.

Conclusion: Here was a higher frequency in the use of medications for treating cardiovascular diseases with a risk of triggering or worsening hearing loss in these subjects and greater impairment and decline of hearing thresholds were observed in the results of C2.