[Hearing loss as an occupation pathology in civil pilots]

Occupational hearing loss in civil pilots was analyzed, compared and contrasted with hearing pathologies in people of ground "noise" occupations. Analysis of medical check records of 609 pilots examined at the age from 26 to 68 yrs. revealed 431 cases of sensory deafness. Flight service of the pilots ranged from 8 to 44 years and chronic SD started developing after two to 40 years of service. It has been concluded that recently the SD incidence (15.76%) rose largely because of the growing number of elder pilots and reducing flight hours. Deafness in civil pilots ensues after 15 years of service, i.e. later than in people of ground "noise" occupations, and does not result in severe loss of hearing. Several cases of premature chronic SD diagnosis during the medical flight certification were found and attributed to the neglect of factors leading to temporary shifting of the hearing threshold. It is surmised that pathogenesis of pilots' deafness is linked with specifics of radio noise and impossibility to set limits of noise duration during flight duty. Concomitant pathology, considering the extra-aural noise effects, appears and progresses in parallel with chronic SD.