159 Indian Journal of Otology | October 2011 | Vol 17 | Issue 4 |

ORIGINAL ARTICLE
INTRODUCTION
Mobile phone as a communication tool has become an
indispensable part of ones life these days. At the end of
2011, there were 6 billion mobile subscriptions, estimated by
Te International Telecommunication Union (2011) that is
equivalent to 87% of the world population.
[1]
Of all anatomical
structures, the ear has one of the closest proximity to mobile
phones. Mobile phones use electromagnetic radiation in
the microwave range, which afects hearing and also cause
sensations of burning or warmth around the ear, headache,
and disturbance of sleep.
[2]
Terefore, the efect of mobile phone radiation on human
health is the subject of recent interest and study, as a result
of the enormous increase in mobile phone usage throughout
the world.
So, this study was designed to evaluate the relationship
between the duration of usage of mobile phones per day and
the auditory threshold.
Effect of mobile phone usage on hearing
threshold: A pilot study
C S Ramya, Kutty Karthiyanee, Shankar Vinutha
Department of Physiology, Sri Devaraj Urs Medical College, Kolar, Karnataka, India
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Tis study included 50 apparently healthy subjects in the age
group 1540 years using mobile phones for more than 5 years,
taken from the Institutional Campus afer obtaining ethical
clearance from Institutional Ethical Committee and informed
consent from them. Out of the 50 subjects taken, 25 subjects
who used mobile phones >30 min/day were taken as the test
group and 25 subjects who used mobile phones <30 min/
day were taken as the control group.
[3]
Tose with history
of hypertension, diabetes, consumption of ototoxic drug,
recent ear/nose/throat infection, noise-induced hearing loss
(occupational), smoking, tobacco chewing, and symptoms
related to hearing were excluded.
Pure-tone audiometry was done on these subjects in a silent
room to evaluate the hearing threshold of each ear using an
ABSTRACT
Introduction: Mobile phones use electromagnetic radiation in the microwave range, which can be harmful to
hearing. Earlier studies have showed an increase in hearing threshold with more than 30 minutes usage of
mobile phones per day. Objective: To evaluate the relationship between the duration of usage of mobile
phones per day and the change in auditory threshold. Materials and Methods: After obtaining institutional
ethical committee clearance, 50 subjects, aged between 15 and 40 years, from institutional campus using
mobile phones for more than 5 years were selected for this study. 25 subjects who used mobile phones for
<30 min/day formed the control group, while 25 subjects who used their mobile phones for >30 min/day
formed the test group. Pure-tone audiometry was done on all the subjects. Results: There was a signifcant
increase in the hearing thresholds at all frequencies in air conduction and bone conduction in right ear in test
group compared with the control group. Similarly, there was a signifcant increase in the hearing thresholds at
all frequencies in air conduction and bone conduction in left ear also except for bone conduction at frequency
4 and 6 kHz. Conclusions: There is a signifcant increase in the hearing threshold in mobile phone users
associated with duration of usage.
KEYWORDS: Audiometer, Hearing, Mobile phones
Address for correspondence: Dr. (Mrs). C S Ramya,
No: 3038, CHS Building, New Extension,
Kolar-563101, Karnataka, India.
E-mail: ramyacs05@gmail.com
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DOI:
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160 Indian Journal of Otology | October 2011 | Vol 17 | Issue 4 |
Ramya, et al.: Mobile phone and hearing
audiometer. Air conduction thresholds were measured for
tones of 250, 500, 1000, 1500, 2000, 4000 6000, and 8000 Hz
and bone conduction thresholds were measured for 250, 500,
1000, 1500, 2000, and 4000 Hz. Te amount of intensity that
has to be raised above the normal level is a measure of the
degree of hearing impairment at that frequency. It is charted
in the form of a graph called the audiogram. Te thresholds
of bone conduction are a measure of the cochlear function.
Te diference in the thresholds of air and bone conduction
(A-B gap) is a measure of a degree of conductive deafness. Te
audiometer is so calibrated that hearing of a normal person, both
of air and bone conduction, is at 0 db and there is no A-B gap.
Subjects were made to wear earphones during air conduction
testing and a vibrator during bone conduction testing. Tey
were instructed to respond whenever and as soon as the tone
comes on, regardless of how faint the tone is and to stop
responding as soon as the tone goes of. Tey were told that
one ear is tested at a time. A pulse of tone was presented at
a set frequency and set dB hearing level using adjustment
knobs on the audiometer. Mode of response was by a pressing
button. Te subjects were familiarized with the tone. Afer the
frst response, the tone was decreased by 10 dB whenever the
subject responded and was increased by 5 dB if the person fails
to respond. Te bone vibrator for bone conduction checking
was placed on the mastoid process, no closer than a thumbs
width to prevent acoustic radiation and diagnostic testing at
250, 500, 1000, 2000, and 4000 Hz was done as above.
Interpretation of an audiogram was done as given below:
1. Conductive deafness is indicated by raised air conduction
thresholds (25 dB) and a normal bone conduction
threshold with a wide air bone gap of 15 dB or more.
2. Sensorineural deafness is indicated by raised air and bone
conduction thresholds (both >25 dB) and the air bone gap
does not exceed 10 dB.
3. Mixed deafness air and bone conduction thresholds are
raised with air bone gap of >15 dB. Te data obtained were
analyzed using paired t test.
Statistical calculations were done using statistical package for
the social sciences (SPSS) version 14.
RESULTS
Te mean age among the test group was 18.2 1.5 years and
among controls was 17.2 2.1 years. Males predominated
over females among both the test and control groups with 80%
in test group and 72% in control group. Majority of subjects
were right ear dominant with 88% in test group and 76% in
control group.
Tere was a signifcant increase in the hearing thresholds
at all frequencies in air conduction and bone conduction in
right ear in test group compared with control group. Similarly,
there was a signifcant increase in the hearing thresholds at
all frequencies in air conduction and bone conduction in lef
ear also except for bone conduction at frequency 4 and 6 kHz
as shown in Table 1.
No signifcant diference between the hearing thresholds on
the dominant side compared with the non-dominant side
was found.
DISCUSSION
Mobile phone radiation and health concerns have been raised,
especially following the enormous increase in the mobile
phone usage throughout the world. Tey transmit and receive
microwave radiations at frequencies of about 900 and 1800
MHz and these frequencies excite the rotations of water and
some organic molecules which have been attributed to thermal
and non-thermal efects.
[4]
Te hearing system, particularly
the cochlear outer hair cells, is known to be highly sensitive
to electric and magnetic felds which produce some hearing
sensation.
[2]
Te radiation given by mobile phones is measured in terms
of specifc absorption rate (SAR) which is measured using
cellular radiation detectors.
[5]
It is a measure of the rate of
radiofrequency energy absorption by the body from the cell
phone. It provides a means for measuring the radiofrequency
exposure characteristics of cell phones to ensure that they
are within the safety guidelines. Being nearest to the mobile
phone, ear is the most vulnerable organ of the body for high
SAR deposition.
[6]
Te results in this study are consistent with the results of
other studies.
Table 1: Comparison of auditory acuity between
control and test group
Frequencies
(kHz)
Air conduction Bone conduction
Control Test P
value
Control Test P
value
Lef ear
0.25 15.03.81 26.44.45 0.00 9.404.44 135.05 0.00
0.5 14.64.3 22.04.08 0.00 11.24.17 17.46.7 0.00
1 13.84.39 19.82.69 0.00 12.83.55 16.24.3 0.00
2 8.84.39 14.24.71 0.00 11.44.2 14.46.17 0.05
4 9.411.02 16.44.45 0.05 10.604.8 11.62.3 0.36
6 11.06.61 18.86.17 0.00 11.003.15 12.22.53 0.17
8 3.84.62 10.86.23 0.00 NA NA NA
Right ear
0.25 14.45.46 25.44.31 0.00 10.03.81 14.43.32 0.00
0.5 16.43.06 24.42.62 0.00 13.02.5 17.003.53 0.00
1 12.64.81 17.86.13 0.00 12.22.53 16.04.33 0.00
2 7.22.91 12.03.53 0.00 12.42.5 15.03.81 0.01
4 9.07.2 15.87.4 0.00 11.43.06 13.63.9 0.03
6 10.45.38 16.84.05 0.00 10.63.62 143.81 0.00
8 4.85.09 8.87.25 0.02 NA NA NA
NA: Not applicable
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161 Indian Journal of Otology | October 2011 | Vol 17 | Issue 4 |
Ramya, et al.: Mobile phone and hearing
A study showed that a higher degree of hearing loss is
associated with long-term exposure to electromagnetic
feld generated by cellular phones.
[7]
Another study showed
that subjects who used mobile phones more than 60 min/
had hearing threshold of the dominant ears worse than the
non-dominant ears.
[8]
But there was no signifcant diference
between dominant and non-dominant ears in this study.
CONCLUSIONS
Tis study revealed that there is a signifcant increase in the
hearing threshold in mobile phone users associated with
the duration of usage, but the probable cause of hearing
impairment cannot be proved by this study. Further
studies with larger population are needed to evaluate the
pathophysiology behind increase in hearing threshold in air
conduction and bone conduction.
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How to cite this article: Ramya CS, Karthiyanee K, Vinutha S.
Effect of mobile phone usage on hearing threshold: A pilot study.
Indian J Otol 2011;17:159-61.
Source of Support: Nil. Confict of Interest: None declared.
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