Pathogenesis (development of disease)
In noise trauma, various external influences such as a bang or explosion cause damage to the hair cells of the organ of Corti (organ of Corti; term for the interface between acoustic mechanical vibrations and nerve signals in the cochlea of the inner ear). When the adaptive capacity of the ear is exceeded, there is a loss of tone threshold, which may be temporary or permanent.
Etiology (causes)
Biographic causes
- Occupations – occupations involving residence in very noisy environments.
Behavioral causes
- Drug use
- GHB (4-hydroxybutanoic acid, also obsoletely gamma-hydroxybutanoic acid or gamma-hydroxybutyric acid; “liquid ecstasy”)
- Staying in a very noisy environment
Causes related to disease
- Blunt head trauma
Medications (ototoxic drugs/ototoxic (hearing-damaging) drugs).
- Analgesics (painkillers)
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID): acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) [hearing impairment: > 1.95 g, dose-dependent and reversible after a short period of time; hearing impairment: > 10 g/d; ringing in the ears: 6-8 g and above]; salicylates (sensorineural hearing loss)
- Antibiotics
- Aminoglycoside antibiotics (aminoglycosides; disorders especially at higher frequencies) – amikacin, gentamycin (gentamicin), kanamycin, neomycin, netilmicin, paromomycin, streptomycin, tobramycin.
- Glycopeptide antibiotics (vancomycin, teicoplanin).
- Gyrase inhibitors (ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin).
- Macrolides (interference in the range of the complete frequency spectrum) – azithromycin, erythromycin, clarithromycin.
- Anti-malarial drugs such as chloroquine or quinine (quinine alkaloids).
- Anticonvulsants such as carbamazepine, phenytoin, streptomycin.
- Diuretics (diuretic medications).
- Carboanhydrase inhibitors (acetazolamide).
- Loop diuretics (bumetanide; etacrylic acid; furosemide – here, the side effect occurs mainly with rapid intravenous injection in the presence of coexisting renal insufficiency)
- Phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors (avanafil, sildenafil, tadalafil, vardenafil).
- Proton pump inhibitors (proton pump inhibitors, PPI; acid blockers) – omeprazole.
- Thalidomide damage caused by taking the drug thalidomide in the 1960s.
- Cytostatic drugs such as cisplatin, carboplatin, bleomycin, vincristine.
Environmental pollution – intoxications (poisonings).
- Explosion trauma
- Noise – so there is a risk of noise-induced hearing loss at constant or year-long sound levels of 85 dB(A); even short-term strong noise such as loud disco music (110 dB) should be avoided; below the recognized occupational diseases (occupational disease list; BK list), noise-induced hearing loss is the most common occupational disease with about 40%.
- Industrial substances such as arsenic, lead, cadmium, mercury, tin; carbon monoxide; fluorocarbon compounds; carbon disulfide; styrene; carbon tetrachloride compounds; toluene; trichloroethylene; xylene.
