Hearing loss as a result of basic military training

Exposure to noise is unfortunately inevitable in military training. The incidence of hearing loss due to basic training was examined in a sample of 1000 recruits before enlistment and after 4 months of basic training. Audiometric tests and personal questionnaires revealed that after basic training 33.7% had developed hearing loss in the high frequency range (6-8 KHz), 3% had noise-induced hearing loss (2-5 KHz), while 60% still had normal hearing and 3.5% had hearing impairment due to various other causes. The left ear was more often affected and there was a tendency towards greater damage to hearing in lightly pigmented subjects. An initial hearing loss at 6-8 KHz may be related to individual susceptibility to noise-induced hearing loss.