Co-occurrence of hearing loss and posttraumatic stress disorder among injured military personnel: a retrospective study

Autor: G. Jay Walker, Antony Joseph, Andrew J. MacGregor, Amber L. Dougherty
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2020
Předmět:
Adult
Male
Warfare
medicine.medical_specialty
Adolescent
Hearing loss
medicine.medical_treatment
0211 other engineering and technologies
02 engineering and technology
Audiology
Stress Disorders
Post-Traumatic
Young Adult
03 medical and health sciences
0302 clinical medicine
Military
Concussion
Epidemiology
mental disorders
otorhinolaryngologic diseases
Humans
Medicine
Iraq War
2003-2011
Brain Concussion
Retrospective Studies
021110 strategic
defence & security studies
Trauma Severity Indices
Rehabilitation
Afghan Campaign 2001
Veteran
business.industry
Medical record
lcsh:Public aspects of medicine
Age Factors
Public Health
Environmental and Occupational Health
Retrospective cohort study
PTSD
lcsh:RA1-1270
medicine.disease
Mental health
United States
Military Personnel
Unilateral hearing loss
medicine.symptom
business
030217 neurology & neurosurgery
Research Article
Zdroj: BMC Public Health, Vol 20, Iss 1, Pp 1-7 (2020)
BMC Public Health
ISSN: 1471-2458
DOI: 10.1186/s12889-020-08999-6
Popis: BackgroundPosttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and hearing loss are hallmark public health issues related to military service in Iraq and Afghanistan. Although both are significant individual contributors to disability among veterans, their co-occurrence has not been specifically explored.MethodsA total of 1179 male U.S. military personnel who sustained an injury between 2004 and 2012 during operations in Iraq or Afghanistan were identified from clinical records. Pre- and postinjury audiometric data were used to define new-onset hearing loss, which was categorized as unilateral or bilateral. Diagnosed PTSD was abstracted from electronic medical records. Logistic regression analysis examined the relationship between hearing loss and PTSD, while adjusting for age, year of injury, occupation, injury severity, injury mechanism, and presence of concussion.ResultsThe majority of the study sample were aged 18–25 years (79.9%) and sustained mild-moderate injuries (94.6%). New-onset hearing loss was present in 14.4% of casualties (10.3% unilateral, 4.1% bilateral). Rates of diagnosed PTSD were 9.1, 13.9, and 29.2% for those with no hearing loss, unilateral hearing loss, and bilateral hearing loss, respectively. After adjusting for covariates, those with bilateral hearing loss had nearly three-times higher odds of PTSD (odds ratio = 2.92; 95% CI, 1.47–5.81) compared to those with no hearing loss. Unilateral hearing loss was not associated with PTSD.ConclusionsBoth PTSD and hearing loss are frequent consequences of modern warfare that adversely affect the overall health of the military. Bilateral, but not unilateral, hearing loss was associated with a greater burden of PTSD. This has implications for warfighter rehabilitation and should encourage collaboration between audiology and mental health professionals.
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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