The current issue of the Journal of Rehabilitation Research and Development (JRRD) is a supplement on hearing loss, which affects 31 million Americans. This supplement addresses topics at the cutting edge of both basic and clinical hearing loss research and is edited by internationally renown experts in the field of audiology.

Advance in hearing evaluation provides rapid data on health of middle ear, pg 63
A recent advance in the evaluation of middle-ear function is described in this article. The new instrument measures acoustic power flow in the ear canal and the proportion of this power entering the middle ear. Since the middle ear is involved in almost every hearing test, determining the health status of the middle ear during an audiological evaluation is important. Within minutes, the instrument provides information on the health of the middle ear. Clinical instruments currently in use for middle-ear evaluation cannot measure many important acoustic properties of the middle ear because of the complexity of these measurements.

Prevention programs can be effective in reducing the incidence of hearing loss, pg 45
Researchers say hearing loss prevention programs that educate people on appropriate use of ear protection, ways to reduce noise exposure, and the effects of ototoxic medications can reduce the incidence of noise- and ototoxic-induced hearing loss. Hearing loss affects 31 million Americans, many of whom also receive treatment with ototoxic medications that may exacerbate preexisting hearing loss. Poor implementation of hearing protection programs and a lack of audiometric testing during medical treatment leave patients vulnerable to unrecognized and untreated hearing loss until speech communication is impaired. Ultimately, hearing loss prevention requires education to reduce occupational and recreational noise exposure, appropriate audiometric testing to identify hearing loss early, and counseling on the risks and
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Contact: Judith LaVoie
judith@vard.org
410-962-1800 x 229
VA Research Communications Service
6-Feb-2006

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