Sudden Hearing Loss in the Active Duty Population: An Epidemiological Study

Area of Science:

• Military Medicine
• Audiology
• Public Health

Background:

• Hearing loss is a prevalent disability among military personnel.
• Sudden hearing loss (SHL) is a critical condition impacting quality of life and military readiness.
• Identifying at-risk military subpopulations for SHL is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the incidence of SHL in active duty U.S. military service members.
• To identify specific subpopulations within the military with higher SHL rates.
• To compare SHL incidence between military and civilian populations.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective population-based study of SHL cases from January 2016 to December 2021.
• Analysis of SHL incidence across various military subpopulations.
• Comparison of incidence rates between military and civilian populations.

Main Results:

• Active duty service members experienced SHL at a higher rate (32.9/100,000) than civilians (5-27/100,000).
• Senior officers (103.9/100,000) and Air Force personnel (45.1/100,000) showed significantly increased SHL incidence.
• No difference in incidence was found based on military occupational specialty; overseas personnel had lower incidence.

Conclusions:

• Military personnel exhibit a higher incidence of SHL compared to the general civilian population.
• Increased age likely contributes to higher SHL rates in senior officers.
• Further research is needed to understand elevated SHL rates in senior officers and Air Force personnel to inform mitigation strategies.