Bio-Psycho-social impact of the indiscriminate use of audio devices

Abstract

The XXI century society is characterized by a great development of sciences and technologies and this, among other things, has generated  an indiscriminate use of audio devices bringing with them a sound contamination and negative repercussion on people´s health. The  general aim of this research was determining the hearing disability due to the use of audio devices by young people and teenagers. We  carried out a prospective, descriptive, observational study of the  patients with audiological symptomatology who assisted the Otosurgery and Audiology consultations of the Hospital Faustino Perez of  Matanzas, in the period from january 2014 to february 2015 and fulfilled the inclusion, exclusion and exit criteria, and also  adjusted to ethical considerations on the kind of study. The easured  variables were: the clinical-epidemiological ones, time of device  use,   lesion level, associated audiological and subjective symptoms. The  most affected age group was the 20-24 years one. The small audiphones are the ones generating more auditory damage, and also the exposition  to noise during more than 60 minutes, in a continuous form and at high intensities. There they were appreciated symptoms of the psycho-affective sphere like irritability and insomnia expressed with a high incidence. After being diagnosed and treated, audiological 
sequels persisted, needing, in some cases, prosthetic rehabilitation. 
Oto-audiological education is an unavoidable pillar in preventing the noise-induced acoustical trauma. Educative leaflets were given to generalize the outcomes at the primary health care level.